New Delhi ; Rising for the second straight month, wholesale price-based inflation jumped to 0.79 per cent in May with vegetable prices witnessing a double-digit growth. The April WPI-based inflation was at 0.34 per cent and in March it was (-)0.45 per cent .

Government data today showed food inflation rose to 7.88 per cent in May as against 4.23 per cent in April. Inflation in vegetables came in at 12.94 per cent, a sharp rise from 2.21 per cent, a month earlier. Pulses inflation remained stubborn at 35.56 per cent.

The hardening of WPI food inflation follows the trend of retail inflation released yesterday. Retail inflation touched a 21-month high of 5.76 per cent in May mainly due to rising prices of food items.