Slight change in wholesale inflation rate in February, figure reached four-month low of 0.20%

Wholesale price index (WPI) based inflation in the country fell to a four-month low of 0.20 per cent on an annual basis in February, from 0.27 per cent in January. The Commerce Ministry released its figures on Thursday.

In the month under review, the sequential price index registered an increase of 0.07% whereas a month before, it had declined by 0.33%.

The positive rate of inflation in February 2024 is mainly due to an increase in prices of food articles, crude petroleum and natural gas, electricity, machinery and equipment motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers, etc.

Food items saw 6.95% inflation in February. The monthly inflation rate for primary articles rose from 3.84% in January to 4.49% in February.

In February, the wholesale price of crude oil increased by 8.24%. In February, fuel and power inflation was negative at 1.59%, compared to minus 0.51% in January. In February, the inflation rate for manufactured goods was negative 1.27%.

Retail inflation in India fell to 5.09% annually in February from 5.10% in January, according to figures released earlier this week. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation made this data available.