Weekly Inflation Increase by 0.45% Due to Rise in Food Items Prices

The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended October 15, 2020 recorded an increase of 0.45 percent over last week due to rise in food items i.e. chicken (15.35 percent), eggs (5.84 percent), tomatoes (3.45 percent) and sugar (2.14 percent).

According to the latest data, released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the SPI went up from 140.73 points during the week ended October 8, 2020 to 141.36 points during the week under review.

The year on year trend depicts an increase of 9.20 percent with most of the items increased mainly chilies powder (86.31 percent), potatoes (56.77 percent), tomatoes (54.88 percent), eggs (46.91 percent), pulse moong (37.64 percent), sugar (34.71 percent), pulse mash (33.51 percent), pulse masoor (23.10 percent), gur (18.59 percent), washing soap (18.49 percent) bread (18.08 percent), chicken (18.01 percent), vegetable ghee (17.76 percent), match box (17.67 percent), wheat flour bag (17.37 percent) and rice irri (16.48 percent) while a major decrease was observed in the price of diesel (18.03 percent), garlic (12.05 percent), LPG (11.09 percent), petrol (8.11 percent), electricity (7.04 percent) and onions (4.87 percent).

The weekly SPI covers 17 urban centres and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups. During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 25 (49.01 percent) items increased, 09 (17.64 percent) items decreased and 17 (33.35 percent) items remained constant, according to the provisional figures released by the PBS.

The SPI for the consumption groups up to Rs. 17,733, from Rs. 17,733 to Rs. 22,888, Rs. 22,889 to Rs. 29,517, Rs. 29,518 to Rs. 44,175 and above Rs. 44,175 per month increased by 0.26 percent, 0.28 percent, 0.42 percent, 0.52 percent, and 0.50 percent respectively.

The commodities, which recorded increase in their average price, include chicken 15.35 percent, tomatoes 3.45 percent, LPG 3.24 percent, eggs 5.84 percent, sugar 2.14 percent, match box 1.74 percent, rice 0.58 percent, wheat flour 0.40 percent, energy saver (0.49 percent), curd (0.10 percent) and powdered milk (0.48 percent).

The commodities, which recorded decrease in their average price, include bananas 2.49 percent, pulse moong 0.64 percent, electricity charges for Q1 1.98 percent, onions 2.30 percent, pulse masoor 0.23 percent, potatoes 1.75 percent, gur 0.21 percent, garlic 1.12 percent and pulse gram 0.01 percent.

Prices of the commodities that observed no change during the week under review include bread plain, salt powdered (national/shan), chilies powder national, cooked beef, cigarettes capstan, gul ahmed/al karam, lawn printed gul ahmed/al karam, georgette (average quality), gents sandal, gents sponge, ladies sandal, gas charges, firewood whole, petrol super, hi-speed diesel, telephone call charges and toilet soap.