Food inflation softened to 18.22 per cent as of the week ended December 26, although potato and pulses continued to cost high. The wholesale price based inflation was 19.83 per cent in the previous week.

Potato remained expensive rising as much as 110 per cent over the last year, followed by pulses whose prices jumped by 42.21 per cent. Vegetables turned expensive by 30.97 per cent. Onion prices rose by 40.07 per cent on yearly basis.