Wholesale inflation, as measured by the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), rose across the country to 11.39 per cent in August, data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday showed. 

The WPI inflation had grown by 11.16 per cent during July, while the WPI for June was 12.07 per cent, the data showed. The wholesale inflation in August 2020 was at 0.41 per cent. 

“The high rate of inflation in August 2021 is primarily due to rise in prices of non-food articles, mineral oils, crude petroleum and natural gas, manufactured products, like basic metals, food products, textile, chemicals and chemical products, as compared to (their prices in) the corresponding month of the previous year,” the ministry’s statement said. 

The food articles segment witnessed a (-)1.29 per cent change in August, the data showed. In the month prior to that, this was zero per cent. Vegetable prices contracted by (-)13.30 per cent in August, against (-)8.73 per cent in July, the data showed. Prices of potato fell by (-)39.81 per cent, while those of onions grew by 62.78 per cent. Besides, prices of pulses grew by 9.41 per cent last month, while those of fruits slipped by (-)5.10 per cent. Eggs, meat and fish prices rose by 3.46 per cent in August. 

Prices in the fuel and power segment inched to 26.09 per cent in August from 26.02 per cent a month ago. Petrol prices rose by 61.53 per cent, high-speed diesel gained by 50.69 per cent and LPG prices inched by 48.11 per cent. 

The manufactured products segment rose by 11.39 per cent last month, led by a 40.49 per cent jump in prices of vegetable and animal oils and fats. 

In separate data released by the government on Monday, the retail inflation, based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), eased to a four-month low of 5.30 per cent in August.