Wholesale Food Inflation

India moved to conserve foreign exchange, contain prices and secure energy supplies as the West Asia crisis tested external accounts and growth forecasts

India's factory-gate inflation accelerated sharply in April as rising fuel, diesel, and crude oil prices linked to the West Asia crisis pushed wholesale prices to a multi-year high

The fuel and power category recorded the highest inflation among major groups at 24.71 per cent in April, compared with 1.05 per cent in March

The increased rate of inflation in March was primarily due to a jump in prices of crude petroleum & natural gas, other manufacturing, non-food articles, manufacture of basic metals and food articles

Food deflation and bullion-led inflation offset each other in January, but net impact of top items lifted retail inflation to 2.75% from 1.33% in December

January 2026 WPI-based inflation: Positive rate of inflation in January 2026 was due to an increase in prices of the manufacture of basic metals, other manufacturing, and non-food articles

December 2025 WPI-based inflation: Positive rate is due to an increase in prices of other manufacturing, minerals, and the manufacturing of machinery and equipment

India is preparing to rejig methodology for computing CPI and revamp monetary policy mandate for targeting retail inflation in 2026 after a year of benign price situation due to subdued food cost and GST reduction. Consumer Price Index (CPI) based retail inflation remained in the Reserve Bank's comfort zone (2-6 per cent) and is likely to stay that way in the next year also, keeping open the possibility of at least one more reduction in rates by the central bank in the coming months. Besides cooling food prices, the decision of the government to reduce GST rates on about 400 items in September helped in further improving the price situation in the country. The wholesale price index (WPI), too, showed clear signs of easing of inflationary pressures through 2025. Early months recorded positive but declining WPI inflation, reflecting softening price pressures especially in food and fuel categories. By June, WPI entered deflation and the downward trend continued with negative prints in

Inflation in manufactured products that carries weightage of over 64 per cent in the index, narrowed to a 14-month low of 1.33 per cent in November

So far in this current financial year (2025-26), only April saw a moderate inflation of 2.85 per cent in onions and since then it has seen a deflation in every succeeding month.

The negative rate of inflation in July is primarily due to a decrease in prices of food articles, mineral oils, crude petroleum and natural gas, manufacture of basic metals

June 2025 WPI-based inflation: Food index declined to -0.26%, compared to 1.72% in the previous month

WPI inflation eased to 0.39 per cent in May, a 14-month low, as prices of food, fuel, and primary articles cooled; core inflation also declined

The domestic currency began the session 24 paise lower at 85.52 after closing at 85.28 against the greenback on Wednesday

April 2025 WPI-based inflation: Oil prices fell by 3.95%, electricity prices dropped by 1.38%, while coal prices rose slightly by 0.22%

Sharp drop in prices of vegetables and pulses cools food inflation to 42-month low

WPI March 2025: WPI Food Index eased 4.66 per cent from 5.94 per cent the month earlier

We expect the GDP growth to print at 6.2 per cent in FY26, marginally below the 6.3 per cent projected by us for FY25, said Aditi Nayar of Icra

Retail inflation for farm and rural workers eased slightly to 4.61 per cent and 4.73 per cent, respectively, in January from 5.01 per cent and 5.05 per cent in December 2024, showed the government data released on Monday. The All-India Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labourers (CPI-AL) and Rural Labourers (CPI-RL) decreased by 4 points and 3 points, respectively, for the month of January 2025, reaching 1,316 and 1,328 points, the labour ministry said in a statement. According to the statement, the CPI-AL and CPI-RL stood at 1,320 points and 1,331 points, respectively in December 2024. "The year-on-year inflation rates based on CPI-AL and CPI-RL for the month of January, 2025 were recorded at 4.61 per cent and 4.73 per cent, respectively, compared to 7.52 per cent and 7.37 per cent in January, 2024. The corresponding figures for December, 2024 were 5.01 per cent for CPI-AL and 5.05 per cent for CPI-RL," it stated. The food index for CPI-AL decreased from 1,262 points in Decemb

Jan 2025 WPI-based inflation: Retail inflation eased to a five-month low of 4.31% in January, down from 5.22% in December driven primarily by easing food prices