India’s wholesale price inflation rose to 11.39 per cent in September from 9.92 per cent in August, driven by higher prices of fuel and power, food articles and manufactured products, according to provisional government data released on Wednesday.
The Wholesale Price Index (WPI), with 2022-23 as its base year, increased to 112.5 in September from 110.8 in August. Wholesale inflation stood at 9.78 per cent in July, according to the final estimates released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
The rise in wholesale inflation was broad-based, with all three major components of the index — primary articles, fuel and power, and manufactured products — recording higher year-on-year inflation in September.
Fuel and power inflation rises to 25.85%
Inflation in the fuel and power category accelerated to 25.85 per cent in September from 22.93 per cent in August, reflecting sustained price pressures across energy-related commodities.
Within the category, inflation in crude petroleum and natural gas surged to 57.32 per cent from 34.41 per cent in August.
Mineral oils, which include petroleum products, recorded inflation of 40.02 per cent, compared with 38.48 per cent in the previous month. Coal and lignite inflation also increased sharply to 9.31 per cent from 1.57 per cent.
Electricity prices, however, continued to decline on a year-on-year basis, with inflation at minus 0.43 per cent in September, compared with minus 1.73 per cent in August.
Wholesale food inflation climbs to 8.66%
Food inflation also accelerated during September. The WPI Food Index, which combines food articles under primary articles and manufactured food products, recorded inflation of 8.66 per cent, compared with 7.05 per cent in August.
Inflation in food articles increased to 8.14 per cent from 5.67 per cent in the previous month, contributing to the overall rise in wholesale prices.
However, inflation in manufactured food products moderated marginally to 9.44 per cent in September from 9.65 per cent in August.
Overall, inflation in primary articles rose to 8.67 per cent from 7.76 per cent in August. Within this category, inflation in non-food articles eased to 10.28 per cent from 14.79 per cent, while mineral inflation increased to 9.51 per cent from 8.24 per cent.
Manufactured products inflation rises to 9.76%
Inflation in manufactured products, which account for the largest share of the wholesale price index, increased to 9.76 per cent in September from 8.37 per cent in August.
The increase was driven by higher prices across several industrial categories, including basic metals, chemicals, textiles, rubber and plastic products, and electrical equipment.
Inflation in basic metals rose sharply to 16.96 per cent from 10.88 per cent in August, while inflation in chemicals and chemical products accelerated to 16.74 per cent from 14.30 per cent.
Textile inflation increased to 13.85 per cent from 12.63 per cent, while rubber and plastic products recorded inflation of 13.47 per cent, compared with 11.18 per cent in August.
Inflation in electrical equipment also increased to 11.93 per cent from 11.11 per cent.
Meanwhile, inflation in computer, electronic and optical products turned positive at 4 per cent in September, compared with a contraction of 0.47 per cent in August.
Cumulative WPI inflation at 9.85% in April-September
According to the government data, cumulative wholesale inflation during April-September 2026 stood at 9.85 per cent, compared with a decline of 0.20 per cent during the corresponding period of the previous financial year.
Fuel and power recorded cumulative inflation of 25.31 per cent during the first half of 2026-27, while inflation in manufactured products stood at 8.08 per cent.
The cumulative WPI Food Index inflation was 6.10 per cent, compared with a contraction of 1.26 per cent during April-September 2025.
Output and input producer price indices also increase
The government also released provisional estimates of the Output Producer Price Index (PPI) and trial Input PPI for September.
The all-India Output PPI for all commodities increased to 112.5 in September from 110.8 in August.
Within the index, agriculture, forestry and fishing rose to 118.7 from 116.5, while mining and quarrying increased to 129.2 from 122.0. The index for manufactured products rose to 111.0 from 109.7.
The trial Input PPI for the manufacturing sector increased to 106.1 in September from 104.2 in August, indicating a rise in the index of input costs faced by manufacturers.
The government said the final WPI inflation rate for July remained unchanged at 9.78 per cent. The provisional WPI estimates for September were compiled with a weighted response rate of 83.4 per cent.
The next WPI, Output PPI and trial Input PPI data, covering October 2026, will be released on November 16.
