By Moaaz Manzoor

Wholesale prices surged sharply in March 2026, with the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) rising 5.89 percent month-on-month and 6.69 percent year-on-year, indicating growing cost pressures at the producer level, according to the Monthly Review on Price Indices released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.

The data shows a sharp acceleration from February, when wholesale inflation stood at 1.0 percent year-on-year, compared with 6.7 percent in March.

The most notable increase was recorded in the “other transportable goods” category, which surged 23.39 percent over the previous month and 21.36 percent compared to March last year, making it the largest contributor to wholesale inflation.

Among individual items, fuel prices played a dominant role. Kerosene oil recorded a massive 93.94 percent increase on a monthly basis, followed by diesel oil at 50.88 percent and furnace oil at 40 percent. Motor spirit also rose 21.95 percent during the month.

On a yearly basis, kerosene oil prices jumped 105.54 percent, while sorghum rose 92.27 percent and diesel oil increased 57.13 percent, indicating strong inflationary pressure across energy and commodity markets.

Despite some declines in items such as wheat, flour, potatoes and sugar, the overall impact of rising fuel costs outweighed the easing in food-related components.

The sharp increase in wholesale prices suggests that cost pressures are building at the production level, which could translate into further increases in consumer prices in the coming months.

Credit: INP-WealthPk