Wholesale Price Index inflation stood at 3.18% for the month of March, the government said in a press release on Monday. This was higher than the 2.93% recorded in February and 2.6% in January.

In the primary articles category, prices of vegetables surged by 28.13% in March, while those of pulses rose by 10.63% and of wheat by 10.13%. On the other hand, onions became cheaper by 31.34%. The overall inflation rate for primary articles was 5.07%.

Wholesale prices of fuel and power rose by 5.41% in March compared to the corresponding month in 2018, the data showed. High Speed Diesel became costlier by 7.33%, petrol by 1.78% and Liquefied Petroleum Gas by 0.94%.

Prices of manufactured products rose by 2.16% last month. In this category, fabricated metal products became 3.75% costlier over the same month in 2018. On the other hand, vegetable animal oils and fats became cheaper by 2.39%.

Wholesale Price Index data for the month of April will be released on May 14, the government said.