Official data shows that Inflation in food articles rose to 3.60 per cent in May from 2.43 per cent in April 2026
As prices of fuel and power, manufactured and food items rose in May, the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation shot up to 9.68 per cent last month from 8.26 per cent in April 2026. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Monday released the WPI inflation data under the revised base year to 2022-23.
Official data showed that the inflation in fuel and power jumped to 30.33 per cent in May as compared to 24.89 per cent in April. Inflation in crude petroleum rose to 61.51 per cent from 56.31 per cent in the previous month.
The year-on-year (YoY) inflation for primary articles was 4.99 per cent in May, as compared to 3.78 per cent in April. On the other hand, inflation in manufactured products stood at 7.48 per cent as compared to 6.68 per cent in April 2026. The indices for primary articles, fuel and power, and manufactured products are 113.7, 113, and 107.8, respectively, in May 2026, whereas they were 112.6, 110.9, and 107, respectively, in April 2026.
“The revised framework reflects structural changes in the Indian economy, incorporates a larger basket of commodities and adopts improved methodologies for weighting, index compilation, and treatment of missing data. The new WPI basket contains 957 items compared to 697 items in the previous series and includes emerging energy sources such as solar, wind, and nuclear power,” said Rajeev Juneja, President, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI).
Drivers Of Inflation
The ministry noted that mineral oils (containing petroleum products), crude petroleum and natural gas, the manufacture of chemicals and chemical products, and the manufacture of basic metals have been major drivers of WPI inflation in April and May 2026.
Inflation in food articles rose to 3.60 per cent in May from 2.43 per cent in April 2026. The food index consists of food articles from the primary articles major group, and the manufacture of food products from the manufactured products major group. It observed a YoY inflation of 4.49 per cent in May 2026, compared to 3.11 per cent in April 2026.
“As the USA and Iran are in a peace deal, and international crude oil prices have corrected significantly to the level of USD 83 per barrel in the international market and are expected to decrease further, the positive impact on the inflation trajectory is expected in the coming months,” said Saurabh Sanyal, Secretary General, Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham).
