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Food Inflation Crosses 4% In April — Is Price Pressure Returning?

Food Inflation Crosses 4% In April — Is Price Pressure Returning?

Source: shutterstock

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Highlights

  • India’s retail inflation rose to 3.48 percent during April 2026 on annual basis.
  • Food inflation increased to 4.20 percent amid higher tomato and cauliflower prices.
  • Telangana recorded the highest combined state inflation rate at 5.81 percent in April.

Consumer Price Index based retail inflation in India stood at 3.48 percent in April 2026, according to data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. The inflation rate increased from 3.40 percent recorded in March 2026.

Rural inflation stood at 3.74 percent, while urban inflation was reported at 3.16 percent during April. The All India Consumer Price Index under base year 2024=100 reached 105.12 in April 2026 compared with 104.84 in March 2026.


Source: PIB

Food Inflation Moves Above 4 Percent

Food inflation based on the Consumer Food Price Index increased to 4.20 percent in April 2026 from 3.87 percent in March. Rural food inflation stood at 4.26 percent, while urban food inflation came in at 4.10 percent. Among major food categories, tomatoes recorded inflation of 35.28 percent in April, while cauliflower inflation stood at 25.58 percent.

Coconut copra inflation remained elevated at 44.55 percent. At the same time, potato prices continued to decline sharply, recording inflation of negative 23.69 percent. Onion inflation remained in negative territory at negative 17.67 percent.

Precious Metals Continue To Influence Inflation Basket

Silver jewellery inflation remained exceptionally high at 144.34 percent during April 2026, although lower than March levels of 148.42 percent. Gold, diamond and platinum jewellery inflation stood at 40.72 percent during April.

The “Personal care, social protection and miscellaneous goods and services” category reported combined inflation of 17.66 percent. Transport inflation remained largely unchanged at negative 0.01 percent, while housing-related inflation stood at 1.71 percent.

Telangana Tops State Inflation List

Among major states with population above 50 lakh, Telangana reported the highest combined inflation rate at 5.81 percent during April 2026. Tamil Nadu recorded inflation of 4.18 percent, followed by Andhra Pradesh at 4.20 percent and Karnataka at 4.00 percent.

Delhi reported one of the lower inflation readings at 1.96 percent, while Mizoram recorded the lowest combined inflation among states and union territories at 0.69 percent.

Source: PIB

Sector-Wise Inflation Trends

Education services inflation stood at 3.15 percent during April, while restaurant and accommodation services inflation was reported at 4.20 percent. Health inflation remained relatively moderate at 1.64 percent. Clothing and footwear inflation stood at 2.80 percent.

Vehicle purchase inflation remained negative at 4.81 percent, while transport services for goods recorded inflation of 7.60 percent. The ministry stated that prices were collected from 100 percent rural and urban markets during April 2026, with reporting rates of 99.44 percent for rural markets and 99.82 percent for urban markets.

Key Risks

  • Higher crude oil prices may increase transportation and commodity-related inflation pressures.
  • Geopolitical conflicts could impact food supply chains and import costs globally.
  • Precious metal price volatility may continue influencing miscellaneous inflation categories.
  • Weather-related disruptions may affect vegetable prices and food inflation trajectory.

Summary

India’s retail inflation rose to 3.48 percent in April 2026 compared with 3.40 percent in March, driven partly by higher food prices. Food inflation crossed 4 percent amid elevated tomato, cauliflower and coconut copra prices, while potato and onion prices remained lower year-on-year. Telangana recorded the highest state inflation rate among major states, while transport and housing inflation remained comparatively moderate during the month.

FAQs

Q: What was India’s retail inflation rate in April 2026?
A: India’s retail inflation based on CPI stood at 3.48 percent during April 2026 on yearly basis.

Q: Which state recorded the highest inflation in April 2026?
A: Telangana reported the highest combined inflation rate among major states at 5.81 percent during April 2026.

Q: What was food inflation in April 2026?
A: Consumer Food Price Index based inflation stood at 4.20 percent during April 2026 compared with 3.87 percent in March.

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