New Delhi, Feb. 14 -- India's wholesale price index-based inflation eased to 2.31% in January from 2.37% in December due to a decline in food prices, especially vegetables, according to the provisional data released by the commerce and industry ministry on Friday.

The fall in WPI-based inflation in January did not surprise experts, as a drop in food prices was expected with the arrival of fresh harvests. A Reuters poll of economists had expected wholesale inflation to rise by around 2.5% in January.







Food prices, a major contributor to the index, increased by 7.47% in January, easing from 8.89% in December. Vegetable prices rose 8.35% year-on-year, but down from the 28.65% surge in the previous month.

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