There is no respite from the rising cost of food items. While Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is confident that the worst is over, the latest figures tell a different tale. For the week ending January 30, the food inflation stood at 17.94 per cent.

The annual food inflation figures are calculated based on the wholesale prices. The latest figure is higher than the last figure which was at 17.56 per cent, as per the data released by the Ministry of Commerce.

The price of pulses rose the most by 41.24 per cent followed by potatoes which became costly by 40.57 per cent. Vegetable prices increased by 20.93 per cent and fruits showed the figure of 8.67 per cent.

The wholesale price index also showed that the index of primary articles had risen by 15.75 per cent for the period in question. Fuels went up by 10.44 per cent.

And because of the rising food prices, the overall inflation figures also continued to rise. It rose from 4.78 per cent to reach to 7.31 per cent. However, this is the incomplete data and full figures are going to come out tomorrow.