It is not a food commodity whose price tops the list of highest gainers

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in the current calendar year from January 1 to July 2. It is a non-metallic mineral, magnesite, whose price, as per the ministry of statistics' segregated Wholesale Price Index data for 146 food, and non-food, commodity items, has more than doubled. Magnesite's average weekly index level of 287.34 in the first six months of this year was 1.21 times its average weekly level in the same corresponding period last year.

But, on the whole, there were more food commodities than non-food ones, among the primary articles, whose prices had gone up, as per the findings of a FCRB analysis, which left out manufactured products and other non-primary articles whose weekly data points were not available.

Besides magnesite, the primary articles of lemon, raw cotton, grapes and coconut (copra oil seed) saw the highest price rise. On the other hand, primary articles of manganese ore, litchi, sillimanite, marigold and masur registered the highest price decline. Among commodity groups in primary articles, fibres, fruits and condiments and spices were the largest gainers while pulses and flowers saw a decline.

Among food articles, food grains which comprises of pulses and cereals, stayed steady with just a 1.31 per cent rise in their aggregate index level. This was mainly due to a downward movement in the wholesale prices of pulses such as masur, moong and arhar. The hike in food articles was mainly seen in fruits which on an aggregate shot up by 27.05 per cent, condiments and spices (21.48 per cent) and vegetables (14.62 per cent).

The rise in the wholesale market prices of fruits was led by the rising prices of lemon, grapes, mango, fresh coconut, papaya and orange. Among condiments and spices, black peppers, garlic and dry chillies saw the most upward price pressure in the wholesale market.