New Delhi, March 15: Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today said that pressure on food prices is easing, even as the overall wholesale price-based inflation is almost in double digits for February.
“I am afraid that we will have to deal with it (high inflation) for some more time. Inflationary pressure on food items have started coming down,” the Finance Minister told reporters, to a query on inflation nearing double digits, on the sidelines of AIMA function in New Delhi.
Wholesale price-based inflation rose to 9.89 per cent in February from 8.56 per cent in the previous month due to increase in prices of certain food items such as sugar and the hike in excise duty on fuel announced last month.
Sugar prices rose by 55.47 per cent in February year-on- year, while potato turned costlier by 30 per cent and pulses by 35.58 per cent.
The food inflation was 17.
–Agencies