PANAJI
Goa’s retail inflation remained below the national average in September, offering some relief on the overall price front even as rising food costs continued to drive inflation across the country.
The State recorded retail inflation of 3.92 percent, against the all-India rate of 5.54 percent, as the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) data released by the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation showed Goa’s inflation was 1.62 percentage points below the national average.
Across India, retail inflation accelerated from 4.83 percent in August to 5.54 percent in September – pointing to mounting price pressures on household budgets.
The gap was wider in rural areas, where Goa recorded inflation of 3.67 percent, compared with the national rate of 6.08 percent. Urban inflation stood at 4.07 percent in Goa, against 4.88 percent nationally. This put Goa’s rural inflation 2.41 percentage points below the all-India rate and its urban inflation 0.81 percentage points lower.
The State’s relatively moderate inflation also stood out against several larger states. Among states with populations exceeding 50 lakh, Tamil Nadu recorded the highest retail inflation at 6.81 percent last month, followed by Odisha at 6.70 percent, Madhya Pradesh at 6.68 percent, Telangana at 6.64 percent and Andhra Pradesh at 6.29 percent.
However, it did not mean that households escaped price increases across the board. The government figures showed that food inflation across India rose sharply to 7.74 percent in September from 5.97 percent in August. Rural food inflation stood at 8.06 percent, while urban food inflation reached 7.18 percent.
The state-level comparison also showed steep food inflation in Odisha at 10.62 percent, Madhya Pradesh at 10.18 percent, Andhra Pradesh at 9.58 percent, Telangana at 9 percent and Tamil Nadu at 8.91 percent.
Onion inflation more than doubles
Individual commodities recorded sharper swings -- onion inflation surged to 108.09 percent in September from 48.78 percent in August, while ginger and garlic recorded inflation of 62.85 percent and 54.62 percent, respectively. Lemon prices rose 36.41 percent year-on-year, while silver jewellery recorded inflation of 87.80 percent. The change in price has been reflected across Indian markets.
However, the price trend was not uniform. At the all-India level, potato prices were 11.50 percent lower than a year earlier, while tomato prices fell 8.62 percent, lady’s finger 4.48 percent and coconut 3.99 percent.
Across expenditure categories, personal care, social protection and miscellaneous goods and services recorded the highest inflation at 13.75 percent nationally. Restaurants and accommodation services followed at 9.36 percent, while food and beverages recorded inflation of 7.36 percent.
