Food inflation at 13.39 pct on Oct 24

By Rajkumar Ray

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Food prices rose 13.39 percent in the 12 months to Oct. 24, highlighting concerns that the index could stay high despite government efforts to keep a lid on prices.

The fuel group index fell 6.2 percent from a year earlier, reflecting a comparison with last year's spike in prices.

The normal weekly wholesale price index (WPI) was not released on Thursday. The Commerce and Industry Ministry said it would now release that data monthly from Nov. 12.

Last week, the government said the wholesale price inflation was 1.51 percent in the 12 months to Oct. 17.

India's worst monsoon rains in nearly four decades and floods in parts of the country have hurt farm output and pushed up food prices, hindering a faster recovery of the economy.

"Bad summer crops will push up primary articles prices in the coming months," said N.R. Bhanumurthy, economist at National Institute of Public Finance and Policy. "The shortfall in summer crop will not be covered by expected high growth in winter crops."

The consumer price index (CPI), which has a heavy weight of food items, rose an annual 11.64 percent in September, lower than previous month's level.

On Wednesday, a top policy adviser said food price inflation was still a concern but it should moderate by the end of this year.