The surge in wholesale inflation in April 2026 was mainly fueled by a significant increase in energy and petroleum prices, leading to higher input costs across various manufacturing sectors, industry experts revealed. While food-related inflation remained relatively stable, wholesale price inflation in India spiked to 8.3% year-on-year in April 2026 from 3.88% in March 2026. The rise in April’s wholesale inflation was primarily attributed to soaring fuel and energy prices, especially mineral oils, crude petroleum, and basic metals.
Global Brent crude prices experienced a sharp increase due to heightened geopolitical risks, supply disruptions, and tightening global energy markets, contributing to the inflationary pressures. In April 2026, the WPI Fuel and Power group saw a significant inflation rate of 24.71%, up from 1.05% in March, with crude petroleum and natural gas inflation surging to 67.18%. Additionally, petrol and high-speed diesel prices rose by 32.40% and 25.19%, respectively.
The inflation in primary articles reached 9.17% in April, supported by higher prices of crude petroleum, natural gas, food articles, and minerals. Moreover, manufactured products inflation rose to 4.62%, reflecting widespread increases across various industrial segments like basic metals, chemicals, textiles, machinery, and food products. The headline WPI increased by 3.86% in April 2026 compared to March 2026, with Fuel and Power witnessing a substantial monthly rise of 18.22%.
In April 2026, inflation in basic metals surged to 7.00%, textiles to 7.30%, and chemicals and chemical products to 5.09%, indicating escalating cost pressures throughout industrial supply chains. The provisional WPI index for All Commodities stood at 167.0 in April 2026, up from 160.8 in March 2026, while the final WPI inflation rate for February 2026 was revised to 2.26%. Dr. Ranjeet Mehta, SG and CEO of PHDCCI, emphasized the importance of monitoring global energy prices, commodity markets, and supply chain conditions to understand the future trends in wholesale prices.
