WPI rises to 12.54% in October due to hike in manufactured products, crude

The wholesale price-based inflation spiked to 12.54 per cent in October, mainly due to rise in prices of manufactured products and crude petroleum.

WPI inflation has remained in double digit for the seventh consecutive month since April 2021.

Inflation in September 2021 was at 10.66 percent, while in October 2020 it was at 1.31 percent.

“The high rate of inflation in October 2021 is primarily due to rise in prices of mineral oils, basic metals, food products, crude petroleum and natural gas, chemicals and chemical products etc, as compared to the corresponding month of the previous year,” the Commerce and Industry Ministry said in a statement.

Inflation in manufactured items was higher at 12.04 percent in October, as against 11.41 percent in the previous month.

Also read: Retail inflation rises marginally to 4.48 pc in October

In the fuel and power basket, the rate of price rise was 37.18 percent in October, against 24.81 percent in September.

Crude petroleum inflation was 80.57 percent during October, as against 71.86 percent in September.

Inflation in food articles too witnessed some uptick on a month-on-month basis at (-) 1.69 percent in October, against (-) 4.69 percent in September. Vegetable prices were lower at (-) 18.49 percent, while in onions it was (-) 25.01 percent.

Data released last week showed that retail inflation, based on Consumer Price Index (Combined), rose to 4.48 percent in October, from 4.35 percent a month ago, as food prices inched up along with high input costs, fuel and commodity prices.

ICRA Chief Economist Aditi Nayar said that the core index recorded a month-on-month jump of one percent, with a widespread uptick across the sub-groups reflecting the pervasive commodity price pressures.

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“With demand reviving, we expect producers to start passing through higher input and freight costs, even as the tax cuts on fuels will offer them a breather. Led by the base effect, we expect WPI inflation to moderate in the months ahead, and print at 7.5-8.5 per cent in March 2021,” Nayar added.