SPI-based Weekly Inflation Rises for the 4th Consecutive Week

The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) is continuing its increasing streak for the fourth consecutive week, as it stood at 16.49 with an increase of 0.52 percent in the week that ended on March 10, 2022.

As per the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the SPI recorded an increase mainly because of the rise in the prices of food and non-food items.

The PBS data shows that the prices of 20 essential commodity items increased while the prices of nine items went down. In the week under review, PBS recorded an increase in the prices of chicken, potato, onion, ghee, cooking oil, lentils and milk. The data shows that the rates of flour, chicken and milk remained the highest in Karachi. The statistics show that a 20-kilogram (kg) flour bag was sold at Rs. 1440, while the price of one-liter milk in Karachi was recorded at Rs. 150 per kg with chicken sold at Rs. 340 per kg.

The PBS report says that the prices of tomatoes, garlic, eggs, Gur [jaggery], sugar, lentils, peanuts, LPG and flour went down. 

According to the statistics, the prices of 22 essential commodities remained stable in the country.

The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 16.49 percent mainly due to an increase in tomatoes (169.79 percent), LPG (74.78 percent), garlic (62.44 percent), mustard oil (56.77 percent), vegetable ghee one kilogram (46.83 percent), cooking oil five-liter (46 percent), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (43.69 percent), washing soap (38.87 percent), pulse masoor (35.73 percent), petrol (33.42 percent), beef (25.50 percent) and diesel (23.75 percent), while major decrease observed in the prices of powdered chilies (36.30 percent), pulse Moong (30.52 percent), eggs (18.59 percent), sugar (10.42 percent) and potatoes (7.32 percent).

According to the latest data, the SPI went up from 170.53 percent during the week ended on March 3, 2022 to 171.41 percent during the week under review.

The SPI for the consumption groups up to Rs. 17,732 and Rs. 17,733 to Rs. 22,888, Rs. 22,889 to Rs. 29,517 and Rs. 29,518 to Rs. 44,175 and for above Rs. 44,175 increased by 0.48 percent, 0.53 percent, 0.55 percent, 0.57 percent and 0.49 percent respectively.

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 20 (39.21 percent) items increased, nine (17.65 percent) items decreased and 22 (43.14 percent) items remained stable, said the PBS in the weekly SPI data.

The commodities, which recorded an increase in their average prices, included onions (10.86 percent), chicken (8.75 percent), bananas (4.49 percent), potatoes (2.38 percent), mustard oil (2.33 percent), toilet soap Lifebuoy (1.98 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality one-kilogram pouch each (1.96 percent), Sufi washing soap (1.40 percent), energy saver (1.32 percent), powdered milk Nido (0.91 percent), cooking oil Dalda or other similar brands, five-liter tin each (0.75 percent), tea Lipton Yellow Label (0.70 percent), georgette (0.64 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5-kg tin each (0.43 percent), beef with bone (0.40 percent), rice basmati broken (0.25 percent), pulse Masoor (0.19 percent), pulse gram (0.17 percent), milk fresh (0.08 percent) and mutton (0.03 percent).

The commodities, which recorded a decrease in their prices during the period under review include tomatoes (15.57 percent), garlic (3.94 percent), eggs (1.22 percent), Gur (0.98 percent), sugar (0.73 percent), pulse Mash (0.64 percent), pulse Moong (0.39 percent), LPG (0.24 percent) and 20-kg wheat flour bag (0.22 percent).