Zeebiz Bureau
New Delhi: Food inflation rose to 17.94% for week ended January 30 from 17.56 per cent a week ago.
Potato prices jumped 40.57 per cent over the last year, while pulses became dearer by 41.24 per cent.
The inflation for primary articles, which include food and non-food items in raw form, increased to 15.75 per cent during the week from 14.56 per cent a week earlier.
The price index for food articles, on the weekly basis, moved up 0.3 per cent on account of higher rates of fruits and vegetables (2 per cent), while rates of fish marine, spices, condiments and bajra increased by one per cent each.
Last week, however, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said the worst of food inflation was over and the situation will ease soon.
This is the third week in a row that food inflation has increased, after it eased for three successive weeks. For the week ended January 16, it had stood at 17.40 percent.
Food inflation, which was easing after touching decade's high of about 20 percent in December, rose mainly because potatoes became dearer by 44.91 percent and pulses by 44.43 percent over the previous year.
Economists predict a rise in food inflation during the next couple of weeks after which it is expected to moderate.
with PTI inputs
First Published: Thursday, February 11, 2010, 13:35