India’s wholesale inflation accelerated to 9.89% in February from 8.56% in January, the government said Monday.

The year-on-year rise in the wholesale price index, or WPI, was above the median 9.70% forecast in a Dow Jones Newswires poll of nine economists.

The WPI, used as a measure of inflation, rose 0.6% to 250.1 from 248.5 in January.

The central bank estimates inflation will be around 8.5% by the end of the current financial year in March.