The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended 14 April 2022 recorded a decrease of 0.68 percent, mainly due to a decline in prices of food items, says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The year-on-year trend depicted an increase of 16.44 percent, mainly due to an increase in the prices of tomatoes (85.04 percent), LPG (79.12 percent), garlic (77 percent), onions (67.68 percent), cooking oil 5 liter (58.14 percent), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (57.31 percent), mustard oil (56.76 percent), vegetable ghee 1 kg (56.45 percent), pulse masoor (42.51 percent), washing soap (38.83 percent), petrol (35.25 percent) and diesel (27 percent), while major decrease observed in the prices of chili powder (39.50 percent), pulse moong (26.95 percent), potatoes (22.36 percent), eggs (20.13 percent), and sugar (11.02 percent).
According to the latest data, the SPI went down from 174.45 percent during the week ended 7 April 2022 to 173.27 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 decreased by 1.01 percent, 0.95 percent, 0.80 percent, 0.73 percent and 0.56 percent, respectively.
During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 17 (33.33 percent) items increased, 10 (19.61 percent) items decreased, and 24 (47.06 percent) items remained stable, said the PBS in weekly SPI data.
The commodities, which recorded an increase in their average prices included cigarettes [capstan] (5.46 percent), eggs (2.12 percent), pulse masoor (1.15 percent), mutton (0.95 percent), chicken (0.63 percent), cooking oil [Dalda or other similar brands (sn), 5-liter tin each] (0.57 percent), rice basmati broken (0.51 percent), beef with bone (0.50 percent), lawn printed [Gul Ahmed/Al Karam] (0.46 percent), pulse gram (0.31 percent), pulse maash (0.27 percent), milk fresh (0.24 percent), curd (0.19 percent), tea [prepared] (0.12 percent), pulse moong (0.07 percent), cooked beef (0.04 percent) and powdered milk (0.02 percent).
The commodities, which recorded a decrease in their prices during the period under review include tomatoes (34.14 percent), onions (8.46 percent), potatoes (3.73 percent), garlic (3.68 percent), bananas (2.61 percent), LPG (1.25 percent), firewood [whole 40 kg] (0.80 percent), mustard oil (-0.34 percent), wheat flour bag 20 kg (0.33 percent) and sugar (0.25 percent).
The commodities whose prices remained unchanged during the period included rice [irri-6/9] (Sindh/Punjab), bread plain, vegetable ghee (Dalda/Habib 2.5 kg tin each), vegetable ghee (Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1 kg pouch each), gur, salt powdered, chili powder, tea (Lipton yellow label), cooked daal, long cloth 57″ (Gul Ahmed/Al Karam), shirting, georgette, gents sandal Bata pair, gents sponge chappal Bata pair, ladies sandal Bata pair, electricity charges for Q1, gas charges, energy saver, Sufi washing soap, matchbox, petrol super, hi-speed diesel, telephone call charges, and toilet soap.
