Vendors arrange vegetables on their carts at a wholesale vegetable market in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh November 8, 2009. | Photo credit: REUTERS

Retail inflation in India tightened to 4.81% in June from 4.31% in May, driven by a spike in food price inflation that consumers are facing, which rose to 4.5% against less than 3% the previous month, according to government data on July 12.

The country’s industrial production accelerated in May to grow 5.2% from 4.46% in April, with power generation rising 0.9% after two months of contraction, and mining and manufacturing increasing at a faster rate of 6.4% and 5.7%, respectively. .

In the manufacturing sector, durable consumer goods declined for the first time in six months, with output rising 1.1% in May from a 2.5% contraction in April.

Production of infrastructure and construction goods continued to drive the industrial production index (IPI) up 14% in May after rising nearly 13% in April. The production of capital goods also accelerated to grow by 8.2% in May against 6.2% the previous month.

Production of primary and intermediate goods remained sluggish, however, rising only 3.5% and 1.6%, respectively, although above April levels. Growth in consumer non-durable goods slowed from more than 10% in April to 7.6% in May, the data showed.

Of the 23 manufacturing sectors tracked by the National Statistics Office, 12 sectors recorded a contraction in output in May, with clothing makers (-21%) and furniture makers (-20.5%) recording the declines the strongest, followed by wood products (-12.7%). %), paper products (-8.6%) and computers and electronics (-5.7%).

This was offset by a strong 20.9% rise in pharmaceutical production and a 13.4% increase in motor vehicle production in May. Other transportation equipment rose 10.9%, while manufacturers of non-metallic mineral products and machinery and equipment also increased output by more than 10% in May.