Wholesale prices decline 3% in May as coronavirus pulls down demand

Food items showed a slight inflation of 1.13 per cent in May, but vegetable prices declined

Wholesale prices entered a deflationary zone in May, falling 3.2 per cent, as the month saw a decline in demand amid an economic hit in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

While overall wholesale price index (WPI) numbers were not available for April, in May last year the WPI-based inflation rate had stood at 2.79 per cent. 

Among major categories, food items showed a slight inflation of 1.13 per cent in May. But vegetable prices in this category declined 12.48 per cent. Pulses continued to see elevated inflation, even as it declined to 11.91 per cent in May from 12.31