Hyderabad: Tomato inflation of around 80% and ginger inflation of nearly 29% added to the burden on Telangana households in May, as the state recorded the country’s highest combined retail inflation rate of 6.15%. The pain was particularly severe in the rural hinterland, where inflation touched 6.59%, making Telangana the only major state where rural price rise came close to the 7% mark. The ministry of statistics and programme implementation provided detailed item-wise data, which showed that edible oil inflation also reached 18% in the state.The latest data shows inflationary pressures, cutting across both rural and urban Telangana. Rural households faced inflation of 6.59%, while urban households logged 5.62%, keeping the combined rate well above the national average. In comparison, all-India retail inflation stood at 3.93%, with rural inflation at 4.25% and urban inflation at 3.53%.The gap highlights how food prices continue to hit Telangana harder than most states. The state’s combined inflation of 6.15% was higher than Tamil Nadu’s 5.11%, Andhra Pradesh’s 4.90%, Karnataka’s 4.59% and Odisha’s 4.54%. The state also topped the food inflation chart at 7.38%.The reason is visible in local markets. Tomatoes are retailing at around Rs 40 a kg in Hyderabad, while ginger prices are hovering near Rs 100 a kg. Nationally too, both items were among the fastest-rising food products, with tomato inflation at 48.43% and ginger inflation at 32.49% in May.For Telangana households, the inflation story is increasingly centred on the kitchen. When vegetables used daily and cooking oils become costlier at the same time, the pressure is felt immediately on monthly budgets, particularly in rural areas where inflation remains the highest in the country, say experts.“High prices can happen because of high demand, low supply or low production also. In Telangana, we can see that it is one of the high per capita income states in the country. If there is more demand and less supply, then it can also lead to inflation. LPG prices are also a reason for high inflation,” Centre for Economics and Social Studies (CESS) professor of economics Jadhav Chakradhar said.The Centre is now releasing item-wise (not just overall general inflation) inflation data for the country and states. Notably, both ginger and tomato inflation rates are high at the national level too. In Telangana, inflation for edible oils has reached approximately 18%, steadily increasing the cost of everyday cooking for both urban and rural households.
