New Delhi, Sept. 15 -- India's wholesale inflation rose to a four-month high in August, snapping a two-month spell of contraction, as food prices pushed the index back into positive territory, provisional data from the commerce and industry ministry showed Monday.

The wholesale price index (WPI) based inflation climbed 0.52% in August, against (-)0.58% in July and (-)0.19% in June. A year earlier, WPI inflation stood at 1.25%. The reading outpaced economists' expectations of 0.30% in a Reuters poll.







Food inflation, a major contributor to the index, stood at 0.21% in August, rising from (-)2.15% in July and (-)0.26% in June.

The uptick was driven by higher prices of vegetables, milk, protein-rich items such as eggs, fish, and meat...