Food inflation rose to 19.83 per cent for the week ended December 19 on the back of spurting prices of potato and pulses. In the second week of December, the food inflation was at 18.65 per cent. Potato prices more than doubled while pulses became costly by over 41 per cent over the last year. Onion rates rose by 40.75 per cent. Prices of vegetables rose by 46.7 per cent while fruits became dearer by 10.35 per cent. The spike in prices was significant on a weekly basis also, with bajra and wheat becoming dearer by 12 per cent and 4 per cent, while rates of rice increased by 2 per cent. Among the non-food articles, raw rubber and mustard seed turned expensive marginally. The fuel index remained unchanged.