Food inflation rises for agricultural and rural labourers

Food inflation rose for both groups

Between August and September 2026 the annual food-inflation rate rose by 1.83 percentage points for agricultural labourers and by 1.87 percentage points for rural labourers. In both groups the September food-inflation rate ran above the overall inflation rate for the same labourers.

Each inflation rate compares the index with the same month a year earlier. The increases of 1.83 and 1.87 percentage points are the change in the annual food-inflation rates between August and September 2026, and not the percentage increases in food prices during that one month.

The wider basket also became dearer

Overall annual inflation for agricultural labourers rose from 5.18 per cent in August 2026 to 6.30 per cent in September 2026. For rural labourers, it rose from 4.83 per cent in August 2026 to 5.98 per cent in September 2026. These rates come from the all-items indices, which cover food and other consumer expenses.

Who and what the indices cover

The Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour and Employment, released the September 2026 figures on 19 October 2026. The CPI-AL and CPI-RL use the base 2019=100 and draw on data collected from 787 sample villages across 34 States and Union Territories. CPI-AL covers agricultural labourers; CPI-RL covers rural labourers.

The Government should prioritise food-price relief for agricultural and rural labourer families. As food inflation rises, the cost of their food basket becomes a direct policy concern.

Annexure: sources and method

Source: Labour Bureau, All-India Consumer Price Index Numbers for Agricultural and Rural Labourers, September 2026, released on 19 October 2026. Coverage and base: PDF page 1, paragraph 1. Annual rates and August comparators: PDF page 2, paragraph 3 and the Inflation (%) table. The percentage-point changes are September rates minus August rates. The coverage counts describe the survey sample; the release does not measure wages, real income or the food bill of each individual household.

Reports and source data