India's wholesale inflation quickens to 3-1/2-year high of 8.3% as energy costs soar

NEW DELHI - India's wholesale price inflation rose unexpectedly to 8.3% year-on-year in April, its fastest in three-and-a-half years, government data showed on Thursday, driven by a surge in energy prices caused by the Middle East conflict.

The reading was sharply higher than the 3.88% rise in March and economists' projection of 4.4%, according to a Reuters poll.

India's wholesale inflation last rose at a quicker pace of 8.67% in October 2022.

• Fuel and power prices increased 24.71% year-on-year in April, against a rise of 1.05% in March

• Wholesale food prices rose 2.31% year-on-year in April after advancing 1.85% in March

• Vegetable prices increased 0.53% year-on-year in April compared with a 1.45% year-on-year increase a month earlier

• Prices of manufactured products rose 4.62% year-on-year in April after a 3.39% year-on-year rise in the previous month

(Reporting by Shivangi Acharya; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Mrigank Dhaniwala)

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This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 1:59 AM.