Food inflation

In the news

• Retail inflation rises to 6.09% in October 2026, breaching the RBI's 6% upper limit 13 November 2026 · The Hindu

  Onions are up 116%. Can a repo rate hike fix a price surge that starts on the farm?

• Retail inflation rises to 5.54% in September as food prices jump; rural CPI crosses 6% 13 October 2026 · Indian Express

  Inflation is still inside the RBI's band nationally, so why has rural India already crossed the 6% red line?

• Why the Centre cut import duty on crude edible oils ahead of the festival season 30 September 2026 · The Hindu

  Cheaper cooking oil for the festivals, or a setback for India's oilseed farmers and its self-reliance mission?

Key facts

• CPI inflation was 6.09% in October 2026, up from 5.54% in September, the first breach of the RBI's 6% upper limit since October 2024. (13 November 2026)
• Food inflation (CFPI) rose to 8.94% from 7.74%; onion prices were up 116.22% year on year. (13 November 2026)
• All-India CPI inflation rose to 5.54% in September 2026 from 4.83% in August; rural inflation was 6.08% and urban 4.88% (MoSPI, released 12 October 2026). (13 October 2026)
• Food inflation (CFPI) rose to 7.74% from 5.97%; onion inflation was 108.09%. (13 October 2026)
• From 24 September 2026, basic customs duty on crude soybean and palm oil fell from 10% to 5%, and on crude sunflower oil from 10% to nil (Notification No. 31/2026-Customs). (30 September 2026)
• Refined soybean and palm oil duty fell from 32.5% to 27.5%, refined sunflower from 32.5% to 22.5%; the effective crude to refined gap stays at 19.25 percentage points. (30 September 2026)

Previous-year questions

1. 2026 · GS3 · 15 marks Discuss the different types of subsidies and supports provided by the Government of India to agricultural sector. Examine the related issues pertaining to Agreement on Agriculture of World Trade Organisation (WTO).
2. 2024 · GS3 · 10 marks What are the causes of persistent high food inflation in India? Comment on the effectiveness of the monetary policy of the RBI to control this type of inflation.
3. 2022 · GS2 · 15 marks Besides the welfare schemes, India needs deft management of inflation and unemployment to serve the poor and the underprivileged sections of the society. Discuss.
4. 2021 · Prelims With reference to 'palm oil', consider the following statements: 1. The palm oil tree is native to Southeast Asia. 2. The palm oil is a raw material for some industries producing lipstick and perfumes. 3. The palm oil…
5. 2020 · Prelims Consider the following statements: 1. The weightage of food in Consumer Price Index (CPI) is higher than that in Wholesale Price Index (WPI). 2. The WPI does not capture changes in the prices of services, which CPI…