Wholesale: primary articles (WPI)
WPI = Wholesale Price Index- How often
- Every monthWith the WPI, 14th of the following month, 12:00 noon
- Next release
- Mon 16 NovIn 4 days · 12:00 noon
- Base year
- 2022-23 = 100
September 2026, up from 7.76% in August 2026.
Events on this chart
Source: OEA, DPIIT, released 14 Oct 2026 · Chart: Clarity UPSC
- Previous
- 7.76%Aug 2026
- Highest
- 18.84%May 2022
- Lowest
- −5.72%Oct 2025
Higher than 86% of the 162 readings since Apr 2013.
Story
Price rise of farm produce and minerals at the wholesale stage.
What is happening now As of Sep 2026
Wholesale prices of primary articles rose 8.67% in September 2026 from a year earlier, up from 7.76% in August. In September 2025 the rate was −4.07%. Food articles rose 8.14%, non-food articles 10.28% and minerals 9.51%.
The Office of the Economic Adviser (OEA) named food articles among the drivers of wholesale inflation. On 7 October 2026 the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) raised the repo rate by 0.25 percentage point to 5.50%. It said a deficient south-west monsoon and strong El Niño conditions posed risks to the farm sector, while healthy foodgrain stocks and government action were expected to soften the impact.
Why it matters
Primary articles are goods in their raw form: farm produce such as grain, vegetables and fruit, and minerals. Their wholesale prices show what bulk buyers pay at the first stage of trade. Food processors and industries that use these raw materials feel a rise first, and it can reach households later.
Food articles make up about 70% of the group, and food prices swing with harvests, rainfall and stocks. So a poor harvest or a weak monsoon shows up early in this index.
What it is
The primary articles index follows the wholesale prices of farm produce and minerals. It is one of the three major groups of the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), compiled by the Office of the Economic Adviser (OEA) in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
In the 2022-23 series the group carries 22.76% of the WPI: food articles 15.98 points, non-food articles 5.53 and minerals 1.25. The new series moved crude petroleum and natural gas out of this group into fuel and power. Weights come from the gross value of output. Prices are basic prices, which leave out net taxes and trade and transport margins.
Food articles make up about 70% of the group, so food prices drive most of its movement. Food articles also form the larger part of the WPI food index.
Read this number
- The publisher
- The Office of the Economic Adviser in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (Ministry of Commerce and Industry) compiles the WPI, the producer price indices and the core industries index.
Terms on this page (3)
- DPIIT
- Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade
- OEA
- Office of the Economic Adviser
- RBI
- Reserve Bank of India
History
- 12 May 2017Base 2011-12 series: primary articles carry 22.62% of the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), with 117 items. Natural gas is added as a new item.
- 15 Jun 2026Base 2022-23 series from May 2026. Crude petroleum and natural gas move to fuel and power, and the group's weight becomes 22.76%.
- 15 Jun 2026Producer Price Indices begin alongside the WPI, which will continue for five years and then stop.
Readings
| Period | Value | Status | Released |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2026 | 8.67% | Provisional | 14 Oct 2026 |
| Aug 2026 | 7.76% | Provisional | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Jul 2026 | 8.61%revised from 8.52% | Final | 14 Oct 2026 |
| Jun 2026 | 7.00% | Final | 14 Sep 2026 |
| May 2026 | 5.26%revised from 4.99% | Final | 14 Aug 2026 |
| Apr 2026 | 3.96%revised from 3.78% | Final | 14 Jul 2026 |
| Mar 2026 | 2.58% | Final | 14 Oct 2026 |
| Feb 2026 | 1.64% | Final | 14 Oct 2026 |
| Jan 2026 | −0.09% | Final | 14 Oct 2026 |
| Dec 2025 | −2.78% | Final | 14 Oct 2026 |
| Nov 2025 | −4.10% | Final | 14 Oct 2026 |
| Oct 2025 | −5.72% | Final | 14 Oct 2026 |
For UPSC
The Office of the Economic Adviser (OEA) in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, publishes the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) on base 2022-23. Know the three major groups and their weights (primary 22.76%, fuel and power 14.11%, manufactured 63.13%) and the 2026 shift of crude petroleum and natural gas to fuel and power.