Wholesale Inflation Touches 8-Year High Of 7.39% In March

The wholesale price index (WPI)-based inflation rate zoomed to an 8-year high of 7.39 per cent in March as fuel and power prices rose to 10.25 per cent, manufactured products rates climbed to 7.34 per cent and food went up to 5.28 per cent. The last time WPI-based inflation had touched this mark was in 2013.

The inflation rate for primary articles too witnessed a rise, touching 6.40 per cent in March compared to 1.82 per cent in February.

The WPI-based inflation had shown a rise in February when it had stood at 4.17 per cent, a 27-month rise. However the March figure of 7.39 per cent is an eight-year high, as it has not touched the 7 per cent levels since 2013.

The March inflation rates of primary articles (6.40 per cent), fuel (10.25 per cent), manufactured products (7.34 per cent) and food (5.2 per cent) are at a higher side compared to the figures of February and January 2021.

WPI had surged to 4.17 per cent in February compared with 2.51 per cent in January, according to the data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.