The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended February 10, 2022, recorded a decrease of 0.08 percent due to a decline in food items and non-food items, says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 18.47 percent mainly due to an increase in tomatoes (289.04 percent), electricity for Q1 (74.88 percent), LPG (51.76 percent), mustard oil (48.51 percent), garlic (45.60 percent), cooking oil 5 litre (40.54 percent), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (39.05 percent), vegetable ghee 1 kg (38.81 percent), washing soap (38.40 percent), pulse masoor (38.00 percent) and petrol (31.59 percent), while major decrease was observed in the prices of chillies powdered (31.44 percent), pulse moong (27.75 percent), sugar (4.78 percent), chicken (4.51percent), onions (4.16 percent) and potatoes (1.60 percent).
According to the latest data, the SPI went down from 169.37 percent during the week ended February 4, 2022, to 169.23 percent during the week under review.
The SPI for the consumption groups up to Rs. 17,732, Rs. 17,733 to Rs. 22,888, Rs. 22,889 to Rs. 29,517, Rs. 29,518 to Rs. 44,175 and for above Rs. 44,175 decreased by 0.24 percent, 0.19 percent, 0.14 percent, 0.10 percent and 0.04 percent respectively.
During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 16 (31.37 percent) items increased, 14 (27.45 percent) items decreased and 21 (41.18 percent) items remained stable, said the PBS in weekly SPI data.
The commodities, which recorded an increase in their average prices included garlic (7.03 percent), chicken (5.65 percent), bananas (3.57 percent), salt powdered (1.81 percent), mustard oil (0.97 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1 kg pouch each (0.88 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5 kg tin each (0.86 percent), firewood whole 40 kg (0.76 percent), Sufi washing soap 250 gm cake each (0.69 percent), matchbox (0.55 percent), mutton (0.43 percent), rice basmati broken (0.43 percent), beef with bone (0.32 percent), toilet soap lifebuoy (0.30 percent), cooking oil Dalda or other similar brands (sn), 5-litre tin each (0.28 percent) and cooked daal (0.27 percent).
The commodities prices of which recorded a decrease during the period under review include tomatoes (14.86 percent), chillies powder national 200 gm packet each (3.30 percent), potatoes (2.92 percent), onions (2.66 percent), eggs (2.05 percent), LPG (1.49 percent), sugar (1.43 percent), pulse moong (0.99 percent), tea prepared (0.50 percent), pulse gram (0.48 percent), gur (0.39 percent), pulse mash (0.37 percent), wheat flour bag 20 kg (0.15 percent) and pulse masoor (0.13 percent).
According to the PBS data, sugar prices declined from Rs. 90.41 per kg to R.s 89.12 per kg, however, a visit to various markets revealed that sugar was being sold at Rs. 98-100 per kg.
Further, according to the bureau’s data wheat flour bag, 20kg decreased from Rs. 1169.80 per 20 kg to Rs. 1168 per 20 kg, but in actuality, the wheat flour was available at Rs. 80-90 per kg in retail.
The commodities prices of which remained unchanged during the period included rice irri-6/9 (Sindh/Punjab), bread plain, milk fresh, curd, powdered milk, tea Lipton yellow label, cooked beef, cigarettes capstan, long cloth 57″ Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, shirting, lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, georgette, gents sandal Bata pair, gents sponge chappal Bata pair, ladies sandal Bata pair, electricity charges for Q1 per unit, gas charges, energy saver, petrol super, hi-speed diesel and telephone call charges.
