India food price index down 0.42 pct y/y on Jan 7

Jan 19 (Reuters) - India's food price index declined 0.42 percent in the year to Jan. 7, government data on Thursday showed, compared with an annual drop of 2.9 percent in the previous week.

The fuel price index climbed an annual 14.45 percent, the same as the week before.

The primary articles price index was up 2.47 percent, compared with an annual rise of 0.51 percent a week earlier.

India's headline inflation slowed in December to a two-year low as food price pressure eased dramatically, but the central bank is expected to leave interest rates on hold next week as manufactured products inflation edged up from November. (Reporting by Arup Roychoudhury in NEW DELHI; Editing by Ranjit Gangadharan)