Wholesale price inflation shot up to 8.30 per cent in April, from 3.88 per cent in March, led by a sharp spike in prices of fuel, power and crude petroleum.
Wholesale price index (WPI)-based inflation in fuel and power jumped to 24.71 per cent in April, from 1.05 per cent in March. In crude petroleum, inflation was 88.06 per cent in April compared to 51.5 per cent in the previous month.
The sharp rise in WPI inflation reflects the impact of the West Asia crisis and the effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz through which the majority of the crude oil is imported to India.
Inflation in food articles was 1.98 per cent in April, compared to 1.90 per cent in March. In non-food articles, inflation rose to 12.18 per cent during April, 11.5 per cent in the previous month, data released by the commerce and industry ministry showed.
"Positive rate of inflation in April 2026 is primarily due to an increase in prices of mineral oils, crude petroleum & natural gas, basic metals, other manufacturing and non-food articles, etc.," the ministry said in a statement.
In the fuel and power basket, inflation in LPG was 10.92 per cent in April, as against (-) 1.54 per cent in March, while in petrol it was 32.40 per cent, against 2.50 per cent in the previous month. In high-speed diesel, inflation was 25.19 per cent in April against 3.26 per cent in March.
Aviation turbine fuel prices were raised by 8.6 per cent, while commercial LPG rates rose 10.4 per cent in April, reflecting higher global benchmarks and supply constraints linked to shipping risks through the Strait of Hormuz.
Despite a 50 per cent spike in global crude oil prices, the government has so far held fuel pump and household LPG rates stable to shield households from the impact of the retail price rise of petrol, diesel and LPG. However, prices of commercial LPG cylinders have been raised.