Ginger, Tomato, and Cauliflower Prices Plummet as Inflation Eases

Synopsis

In March, India's retail inflation hit a six-year low, leading to significant price drops in essential items like ginger, tomato, and cauliflower. The Ministry of Finance highlighted substantial declines in these commodities as inflation across various sectors began to ease.

Key Takeaways

Ginger prices fell by 38.11%.
Tomato prices dropped 34.96%.
Cauliflower saw a 25.99% decline.
Overall retail inflation reached 4.6%.
Food inflation was recorded at 2.69%.

New Delhi, April 20 (NationPress) With a significant dip in India’s retail inflation reaching a six-year low in March, several items experienced dramatic price reductions, including ginger, tomato, cauliflower, jeera, and garlic.

Data from the Ministry of Finance revealed that ginger saw a price drop of -38.11 per cent, followed by tomato at -34.96 per cent, cauliflower at -25.99 per cent, jeera at -25.86 per cent, and garlic at -25.22 per cent.

In March 2025, the items that recorded the highest year-on-year inflation included coconut oil at 56.81 per cent, coconut at 42.05 per cent, gold at 34.09 per cent, silver at 31.57 per cent, and grapes at 25.55 per cent.

Inflation in the health sector experienced a slight increase, with rates rising to 4.26 per cent in March from 4.12 per cent in February.

In urban areas, housing inflation slightly increased to 3.03 per cent in March 2025 compared to 2.91 per cent in February.

Inflation in transport and communication jumped to 3.30 per cent in March 2025, a rise from 2.93 per cent the prior month.

The fuel and light category saw inflation rebound to 1.48 per cent in March from -1.33 per cent in February, affecting both rural and urban populations.

Education-related inflation showed a moderate rise to 3.98 per cent, up from 3.83 per cent previously.

Measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), retail inflation in India dropped to an impressive 4.6 per cent for the fiscal year 2024-25, marking the lowest rate since 2018-19.

The year-on-year food inflation, based on the Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI), was recorded at 2.69 per cent in March 2025, the lowest since November 2021, representing a sharp decline of 106 basis points from the previous month.

Food inflation in rural areas stood at 2.82 per cent, while urban food inflation was 2.48 per cent.

The overall decline in food prices can be attributed to reduced inflation across key categories, such as vegetables, eggs, pulses, meat and fish, cereals, and milk products, as reported by the ministry.

A significant drop was observed in both headline and food inflation in rural regions. Headline inflation fell from 3.79 per cent in February to 3.25 per cent in March, while food inflation decreased from 4.06 per cent to 2.82 per cent.