Wholesale inflation rises to 11.39% in September from August's 9.9% on higher fuel, food prices

India’s wholesale price inflation accelerated to 11.39% in September from 9.92% in August, driven by rising prices of fuel and power, food articles and manufactured products, according to provisional data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday.

The Wholesale Price Index (WPI), with 2022-23 as the base year, rose to 112.5 in September from 110.8 in August. Wholesale inflation stood at 9.78% in July, as per the final estimates.

The increase was broad-based, with all three major components of the index — primary articles, fuel and power, and manufactured products — recording higher annual inflation during the month.

Fuel and power inflation climbs to 25.85%

Inflation in fuel and power accelerated to 25.85% in September from 22.93% in August. Within the category, inflation in crude petroleum and natural gas surged to 57.32% from 34.41% in the previous month.

Inflation in mineral oils, including petroleum products, increased to 40.02% from 38.48%, while coal and lignite inflation rose sharply to 9.31% from 1.57%. Electricity prices continued to decline, although the contraction narrowed to 0.43% in September from 1.73% in August.

Wholesale food inflation rises to 8.66%

Food price pressures also intensified. Inflation in the WPI Food Index, which includes food articles and manufactured food products, increased to 8.66% in September from 7.05% in August.

Inflation in food articles rose to 8.14% from 5.67%, while inflation in manufactured food products eased marginally to 9.44% from 9.65%.

Overall inflation in primary articles climbed to 8.67% from 7.76%. Within this category, non-food articles inflation moderated to 10.28% from 14.79%, while mineral inflation increased to 9.51% from 8.24%.

Manufactured products inflation rises to 9.76%

Inflation in manufactured products, which carry the largest weight in the WPI basket, accelerated to 9.76% in September from 8.37% in August.

Basic metals inflation jumped to 16.96% from 10.88%, while inflation in chemicals and chemical products rose to 16.74% from 14.30%. Textile inflation increased to 13.85% from 12.63%, and rubber and plastic products inflation climbed to 13.47% from 11.18%.

Inflation in electrical equipment rose to 11.93% from 11.11%. Computer, electronic and optical products also recorded positive inflation of 4%, compared with a contraction of 0.47% in August.

Cumulative wholesale inflation at 9.85%

Cumulative WPI inflation during April-September 2026 stood at 9.85%, compared with a contraction of 0.20% in the corresponding period of the previous financial year. Fuel and power recorded cumulative inflation of 25.31%, while manufactured products inflation stood at 8.08%.

The cumulative WPI Food Index rose 6.10%, reversing a contraction of 1.26% in April-September 2025.

The government also reported an increase in the trial Input Producer Price Index for manufacturing, which rose to 106.1 in September from 104.2 in August, indicating higher input costs for manufacturers.

The next WPI and producer price index data, covering October