India’s Wholesale Price Index (WPI) for food items rose to 2.19% year-over-year in February 2026, up from 1.55% in January 2026, according to data updated on 16 March 2026. The figures reflect wholesale food price movements compared with the same months a year earlier.
The acceleration suggests building price pressures in the food segment at the wholesale level, which can later filter through to consumer prices. The January reading of 1.55% had already indicated modest year-over-year increases, but February’s 2.19% marks a further strengthening in the pace of food inflation.
The WPI Food metric is closely watched by analysts and policymakers as an early signal of potential shifts in broader inflation dynamics, particularly in a country where food has a significant weight in household consumption. February’s higher reading, on a year-over-year comparison basis, underscores emerging cost pressures across India’s food supply chain.
