Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, May 14: India’s wholesale price inflation rose sharply to 8.3 per cent in April 2026, marking its highest level since October 2022, mainly driven by soaring fuel, crude oil and manufacturing costs, according to official data released on Wednesday.
The Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based inflation had stood at 3.88 per cent in March and 2.26 per cent in February, indicating a steep rise in price pressures across key sectors.
The Commerce and Industry Ministry stated that the increase in wholesale inflation was primarily due to higher prices of mineral oils, crude petroleum and natural gas, basic metals, manufactured goods and non-food articles.
The latest WPI inflation figure is the highest recorded since October 2022, when it had touched 8.67 per cent.
On a month-on-month basis, wholesale inflation rose by 3.86 per cent in April compared to March, reflecting broad-based cost escalation during the month.
Fuel and power emerged as the biggest contributor to inflationary pressure, with inflation in the segment jumping sharply to 24.71 per cent in April from 1.05 per cent in March.
The fuel and power index increased by 18.22 per cent month-on-month, largely due to a steep rise in mineral oil prices.
Petrol inflation surged by 32.4 per cent year-on-year during April, while high-speed diesel inflation stood at 25.19 per cent. LPG inflation was recorded at 10.92 per cent.
Inflation in crude petroleum and natural gas also rose significantly to 67.18 per cent, while crude petroleum inflation alone climbed to 88.06 per cent during the month.
Primary articles inflation increased to 9.17 per cent in April from 6.36 per cent in March.
Meanwhile, inflation in manufactured products rose to 4.62 per cent from 3.39 per cent in the previous month. Price increases were recorded across 21 of the 22 manufacturing categories tracked under the WPI index.
Sectors such as basic metals, chemicals, textiles, food products and machinery witnessed notable price increases.
Food inflation, however, remained comparatively moderate despite the overall rise in wholesale prices.
The WPI Food Index inflation edged up to 2.31 per cent in April from 1.85 per cent in March.
Among food items, onion prices remained sharply negative with inflation at minus 26.45 per cent, while potato inflation stood at minus 30.04 per cent. Pulses inflation also remained in negative territory at minus 4.03 per cent.
At the same time, inflation in eggs, meat and fish accelerated to 6.68 per cent, while milk inflation stood at 2.56 per cent.
Industrial input costs also continued to rise, with inflation in basic metals increasing to seven per cent, chemicals and chemical products to 5.09 per cent and textiles inflation to 7.3 per cent in April.