Farmers selling cheap, so why do fruits and veggies cost you a bomb?

Foodgrain production in 2016-17 is estimated at 276 million tonnes and in 2017-18 it is targeted at 275 million tonnes

As Finance Minister Arun Jaitley gets down to finalise his Budget Speech, which many believe could be focused on the farm sector, the December data on consumer food price index (CFPI) and its wholesale price counterpart should offer some insight.

The CFPI-based inflation for the month of December rose to 4.96 per cent year-on-year from 4.35 per cent in November. In contrast, the wholesale price index-based food inflation declined from 6.06 per cent in November to 4.72 per cent in December. As such, retail price food inflation has crossed past wholesale price one for the first time in the recent