Declining prices of vegetable and other food articles pulled down wholesale inflation sharply to 3.74 per cent in August to a nearly five-year low.According to the data released by Ministry of Commerce and Industry, inflation was at 5.19 per cent in July and 6.99 per cent in August 2013. Inflation in the food segment witnessed a significant decline to 5.15 per cent in August as against 8.43 per cent in the previous month. The August WPI inflation is the lowest since October 2009 when it stood at 1.8 per cent. Vegetable prices contracted 4.88 per cent, the third continuous month of decline.Maintaining a downward trend, the onion prices contracted by 44.7 per cent during the month under review. However, potato prices were on the rise as inflation in the kitchen essential jumped to 61.61 per cent from 46.41per cent in July.