New Delhi: India’s wholesale inflation continued to remain in the negative territory for the fourth consecutive month, with the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) slipping by 1.21 per cent in October compared to the same month last year, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
The sustained decline was largely due to falling prices of food articles, crude petroleum, natural gas, basic metals, electricity, and mineral oils. On a month-to-month basis, the WPI dropped slightly by 0.06 per cent from September to October.
The WPI tracks price changes of goods at the wholesale level and a negative reading reflects deflation, indicating that key commodity prices are lower than a year ago.
In October, the index for Primary Articles, which account for 22.62 per cent of the WPI basket, slipped by 0.42 per cent to 188.2. Prices of crude petroleum and natural gas fell 3.13 per cent, and non-food articles declined 1.73 per cent. The price of minerals increased 1.72 per cent, while food articles showed no movement.
The Fuel and Power group, with a weight of 13.15 per cent, saw its index rise by 1.12 per cent to 145.0, driven by costlier electricity and mineral oils. Coal prices remained unchanged.
Manufactured Products, the largest WPI segment at 64.23 per cent weight, recorded a minor dip of 0.07 per cent, moving from 145.2 to 145.1. Out of 22 manufacturing groups, prices increased in eleven and declined in seven. Basic metals, chemicals, motor vehicles, and printing products registered price drops, while textiles, food products, and electronic goods saw price increases.
The WPI Food Index stayed stable at 192.0, while food inflation on an annual basis fell sharply to –5.04 per cent from –1.99 per cent in September, indicating a steeper fall in food prices.
The Ministry also revised the final WPI for August 2025 to 155.2, marking an annual inflation rate of 0.52 per cent. The October data was compiled with an 84.2 per cent response rate, while August had a 94.2 per cent response rate.
The WPI data for November 2025 will be released on December 15, the Ministry announced.
