WPI inflation rises to 4-month high of 5.28% in October

New Delhi: Inflation based on wholesale prices rose to over 4-month high of 5.28 percent in October on rising prices of crude, natural gas, fuel and power although food prices have softened.

On the basis of Wholesale Price Index (WPI), inflation was 5.13 percent in September and 3.68 percent in October last year.

According to a government data released today, the index for crude petroleum and natural gas group rose by 4.1 percent to 99.8 from 95.9 for the previous month due to higher price of natural gas.

The index for fuel and power group rose by 3.6 percent to 111.1 from 107.2 for the previous month.  The index for coal group rose by 0.2 percent due to higher price of coking coal.

The index for Manufacture of Food Products group rose by 0.1 percent to 129.5  from 129.4 for the previous month.

The index for Food Articles group rose by 0.9 percent to 145.8 from 144.5 for the previous month. The index for ‘Non-Food Articles’ group, however, declined by 1.1 percent to 123.4 from 124.8 for the previous month.

Meanwhile, data on retail inflation showed that it fell to a one-year low of 3.31 percent in October on the back of cheaper kitchen staples, fruits and protein-rich items.

The inflation based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 3.7 percent in September 2018 and 3.58 percent in October 2017. The retail inflation number is the lowest since September 2017 when it touched 3.28 percent.