India's wholesale price inflation (WPI) rises 2.13% in February 2026: Government data
With regard to fuel and power, the index rose by 1.17 per cent from 145.9 (provisional) for the month of January, 2026 to 147.6 (provisional) in February, 2026
India's wholesale price inflation increased to 2.13 per cent in February 2026 on a year-over-year basis, primarily due to rising costs of manufactured products, metals, textiles, and food articles, according to the data released by Ministry of Commerce & Industry on Monday.
The data was published by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), which compiles the Wholesale Price Index (WPI).
The inflation in food articles was 2.19 per cent in February, as against 1.55 per cent in the previous month, as per WPI data. Inflation based on the WPI has increased for the fourth consecutive month. Last year, it was 2.45 per cent in February and 1.81 per cent in January, reported PTI.
Given that it tracks foreign prices more closely than the CPI basket, economists indicated that if the oil price hike continues, WPI inflation will likely pick up speed and spread to other items (fertilizers, aluminium).
According to the data, the WPI index for all commodities increased to 158.2 in February 2026, compared with 157.8 in January. For manufactured products, the index increased by 0.47 per cent from 147.5 (provisional) for the month of January, 2026 to 148.2 (provisional) in February, 2026.
With regard to fuel and power, the index rose by 1.17 per cent from 145.9 (provisional) for the month of January, 2026 to 147.6 (provisional) in February, 2026.
The latest numbers indicate that the rise in wholesale inflation has been primarily driven by higher prices in segments such as manufactured products, basic metals, textiles, non-food articles, and food articles due to an increase in commodity prices, said Rajeev Juneja, President, PHDCCI, reported by ANI.
He said within the manufacturing Products, basic metals contributed to higher inflation relative to February 2025 due to a mix of global supply constraints, energy costs, freight disruption, and downstream industrial demand.
