India October Inflation Rises to 6.09%, Above RBI Limit

India’s retail inflation rose to 6.09% in October, exceeding the Reserve Bank of India’s 6% upper tolerance limit as food prices climbed, according to official data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. The reading was up from 5.54% in September and marked the first breach since October 2024, when inflation was 6.25%, the data showed.

Food inflation accelerated to 8.94% in October from 7.74% a month earlier, making it the main contributor to the increase in the consumer price index. Food-price pressure was reported in both rural and urban areas: rural food inflation was 9.09%, compared with 8.68% in urban areas.

Among the food items listed in the data, onion prices were up 116.22% year on year and garlic prices rose 60.74%. Ginger inflation stood at 48.32%, while lemon prices increased 47.30%. Some vegetables and other items moved in the opposite direction: potato prices fell 14.24%, cauliflower declined 10.57% and coconut fell 5.6% compared with October a year earlier.

Headline inflation was higher in rural areas, at 6.63%, than in urban areas, at 5.41%, according to the October figures. Outside food, silver jewellery prices were 52.39% higher year...