India's wholesale price inflation accelerated to 11.39 per cent in Sep
New Delhi, Oct 14 (UNI) India's wholesale price inflation accelerated to 11.39 per cent in September, up from 9.92 per cent in August, as rising fuel and power costs, food prices and manufactured goods added to inflationary pressures, according to provisional data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday.
The Wholesale Price Index (WPI), based on 2022-23, climbed to 112.5 in September from 110.8 in the previous month. Wholesale inflation stood at 9.78 per cent in July, as per the ministry's final estimates. The latest data indicate a broad-based increase in wholesale prices, with all three major components of the index, primary articles, fuel and power, and manufactured products, registering higher year-on-year inflation.
Fuel and power inflation witnessed a significant acceleration, rising to 25.85 per cent in September from 22.93 per cent in August. Within the category, inflation in crude petroleum and natural gas jumped to 57.32 per cent from 34.41 per cent in the previous month, while mineral oils recorded inflation of 40.02 per cent, compared with 38.48 per cent in August. Coal and lignite prices also saw a sharp increase in inflation, which rose to 9.31 per cent from 1.57 per cent during the month.
Electricity was an exception, with prices remaining in deflationary territory. Electricity inflation stood at minus 0.43 per cent in September, compared with minus 1.73 per cent in August. Food prices also contributed to the acceleration in wholesale inflation. The WPI Food Index, which includes food articles under primary articles and manufactured food products, recorded inflation of 8.66 per cent in September, up from 7.05 per cent in August. Inflation in food articles rose to 8.14 per cent from 5.67 per cent in the preceding month.
However, the pace of price increases in manufactured food products eased marginally, with inflation moderating to 9.44 per cent from 9.65 per cent in August. Inflation in primary articles, which include food articles, minerals and non-food articles, increased to 8.67 per cent in September from 7.76 per cent a month earlier. Within this segment, inflation in minerals rose to 9.51 per cent from 8.24 per cent. In contrast, non-food article inflation moderated to 10.28 per cent from 14.79 per cent in August. Manufactured products, which carry the largest weight in the WPI basket, also recorded an increase in inflation. The category's inflation rate climbed to 9.76 per cent in September from 8.37 per cent in August, reflecting higher wholesale prices across several industrial segments.
Basic metals recorded a sharp rise in inflation to 16.96 per cent from 10.88 per cent in August. Inflation in chemicals and chemical products also accelerated, reaching 16.74 per cent compared with 14.30 per cent in the previous month. Other manufacturing segments reported similar trends. Textile inflation increased to 13.85 per cent from 12.63 per cent, while inflation in rubber and plastic products rose to 13.47 per cent from 11.18 per cent in August. Higher prices in these categories contributed to the overall increase in manufactured product inflation during September.
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