India’s wholesale price inflation rose to 2.13 per cent in February 2026 on a year-on-year basis, driven mainly by higher prices of manufactured goods, metals, textiles and certain primary articles, according to official data released on Monday.
The figures were published by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), which compiles the Wholesale Price Index (WPI).
The inflation rate based on the all-India WPI stood at 1.81 per cent in January 2026 and 0.96 per cent in December 2025, indicating a gradual rise in wholesale prices over the past few months.
According to the data, the WPI index for all commodities increased to 158.2 in February 2026, compared with 157.8 in January.
The Ministry of Commerce & Industry said the positive rate of inflation in February was mainly due to rising prices of manufactured products, basic metals, non-food articles, food articles and textiles.
Manufactured products drive inflation
The manufactured products category, which carries the largest weight in the WPI basket at 64.23 per cent, recorded an annual inflation rate of 2.92 per cent in February.
Prices increased in several manufacturing segments including other manufacturing, food products, textiles, electrical equipment and chemical products.
However, prices declined in some sectors such as basic metals, computer and electronic products, fabricated metal products and wood products compared with the previous month.
Primary articles see moderate rise
Inflation in primary articles rose to 3.27 per cent in February, even as the index for the category declined slightly on a month-on-month basis.
Prices of crude petroleum and natural gas increased during the month, while food articles and minerals recorded a decline compared with January.
Within food items, prices of vegetables and onions showed significant month-on-month declines, although some categories such as fruits registered an increase.
Fuel and power remain in negative territory
The fuel and power category continued to record negative inflation, with prices declining 3.78 per cent year-on-year in February.
While mineral oil prices increased on a monthly basis, electricity prices recorded a slight decline compared with January.
Food inflation at wholesale level
The WPI Food Index, which includes food articles and manufactured food products, rose 1.85 per cent year-on-year in February, up from 1.41 per cent in January.
However, the food index itself declined to 192.9 in February from 194.2 in January, reflecting a month-on-month moderation in some food prices.
Monthly price movement
On a month-on-month basis, the wholesale price index increased 0.25 per cent in February compared with January.
The provisional WPI data for February was compiled with a weighted response rate of 83.9 per cent, while the final figure for December 2025 was based on a response rate of 93.1 per cent.
The next set of WPI data for March 2026 will be released on April 14.
