India’s wholesale price inflation stood at 1.84 per cent in the month of September, primarily due to increase in prices of food articles and some manufacturing areas, the government said on Monday. 

In August, the wholesale inflation came at 1.31 per cent and 2.04 per cent in July. The month-over-month change in WPI index for the month of September stood at 0.06 per cent as compared to August.

The WPI increase in September was due to the increase in prices of food articles, food products, other manufacturing, manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers, manufacture of machinery and equipment, etc.

The WPI for primary articles increased by 0.41 per cent to 195.7 in September from 194.9 in August. Prices of minerals (1.83 per cent), non-food articles (1.31 per cent) and food articles (0.86 per cent) increased in September as compared to August.

The prices of crude petroleum and natural gas (-5.74 per cent) declined in September as compared to August, according to the data by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The index for fuel and power declined by 0.81 per cent to 146.9 (provisional) in September from 148.1(provisional) in August. The price of electricity (1.34 per cent) increased and the price of mineral oils (-1.72 per cent) decreased. The index for coal remained constant at 135.6 (provisional) in September.

The index for manufactured products increased by 0.14 per cent to 141.8 (provisional) in September from 141.6 (provisional) in August. 

Some of the important groups that showed month-over-month increases in prices are the manufacture of food products; other manufacturing; other non-metallic mineral products; computer, electronic and optical products; wearing apparel etc.

Some of the groups that witnessed a decrease in prices are manufacture of basic metals; textiles; motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers; chemicals and chemical products; fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment, etc.

The WPI food index consisting of ‘food articles’ from primary articles group and ‘food product’ from manufactured products group increased from 193.2 in August to 195.3 in September, 2024.

The annual rate of inflation based on WPI Food Index increased from 3.26 per cent in August to 9.47 per cent in September, ac per the government data. The WPI measures the change in prices of goods sold and traded in bulk by wholesale businesses with other companies.