India’s wholesale price index (WPI) in December rose to 2.37 per cent from 1.89 per cent in November 2024, data released by the Commerce and Industry Ministry said on Tuesday.

The positive rate of inflation in December is primarily due to increase in prices of food articles, manufacture of food products, other manufacturing, manufacture of textiles and non-food articles etc, the ministry said.

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In December, the WPI Food Index saw a marginal decrease to 8.89 per cent from 8.92 per cent in November.

The WPI for food items experienced a sharp dip, falling to 8.63 per cent in November from 13.54 per cent in October.

Meanwhile fuel prices fell by 3.79 per cent , significantly less than the 5.83 per cent drop witnessed in November.

The index for Primary Articles decreased by 2.07 per cent to 193.8 in December from 197.9 for the month of November.

Price of food articles (-3.08 per cent ) and crude petroleum & natural gas (-2.87 per cent) decreased in December. The Price of non-food articles (2.53 per cent) and minerals (0.48 per cent ) increased in December as compared to November.

Index of Fuel & Power increased by 1.90 per cent to 149.9 in December. Price of electricity (8.81 per cent) and coal (0.07 per cent ) increased in December, 2024 as compared to November, 2024.

The price of mineral oils (-0.06%) decreased in December.

Notably, the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) Monday said that India’s retail inflation rate for December eased at 5.22 per cent from 5.48 per cent in November.

Retail inflation, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), in November fell from a 14-month high of 6.21 per cent in October.

For December, the corresponding inflation rates for rural and urban are 5.76 per cent and 4.58 per cent, respectively.