The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week that ended on 28 April had an increase of 0.43 percent mainly due to an increase in the prices of food and non-food items, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 15.86 percent mainly due to the hiked prices of tomatoes (154.16 percent), onions (137.52 percent), LPG (86.92 percent), garlic (82.58 percent), five liters of cooking oil (59.70 percent), 2.5 kg of vegetable ghee (59.55 percent), 1 kg of vegetable ghee (58.43 percent), mustard oil (57.54 percent), pulse masoor (44.59 percent), washing soap (39.33 percent), petrol (37.42 percent), and diesel (29.63 percent).
Meanwhile, a major decrease was observed in the prices of chili powder (39.50 percent), potatoes (26.88 percent), pulse moong (26.31 percent), sugar (10.94 percent), wheat flour (10.59 percent), eggs (6.93 percent), electricity charges for q1 (4.37 percent), and bananas (1.42 percent).
According to the latest data, the SPI went up from 171.05 percent during the week that ended on 21 April to 171.78 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 0.46 percent, 0.43 percent, 0.38 percent, 0.38 percent and 0.45 percent respectively.
During the week, the prices of 25 (49.02 percent) out of 51 items increased, those of four (7.84 percent) items decreased, and the prices of 22 (43.14 percent) items remained stable, as per the PBS.
The items with the increased prices included tomatoes (42.85 percent0, onions (13.11 percent), eggs (3.67 percent), Lifebuoy toilet soap (2.06 percent), Capstan cigarettes 20’s packets each (2.03 percent), chicken (2.02 percent), pulse masoor (1.46 percent), one kg pouch each of Dada/Habib or other superior quality vegetable ghee (1.26 percent), cooked daal (1.18 percent), 2.5 kg tin each of Dalda/Habib vegetable ghee(1.15 percent), irri-6/9 rice (1.08 percent), five-liter tin each of Dalda or other similar brands (sn) cooking oil (0.99 percent), LPG (0.87 percent), pulse moong (0.80 percent), bananas (0.75 percent), mustard oil (0.70 percent), fresh milk (0.58 percent), garlic (0.34 percent), yogurt (0.34 percent), potatoes (0.29 percent), mutton (0.29 percent), pulse mash (0.27 percent), rice basmati broken (0.19 percent), cooked beef (0.02 percent), and beef on the bone (0.01 percent).
The items with the decreased prices include 20 kg wheat flour bag (9.96 percent), gur (1.27 percent0, sugar (1.04 percent), and pulse gram (0.34 percent).
The items with unchanged prices are plain bread (small), Nido milk powder, salt powder, chili powder, Lipton Yellow Label tea, prepared tea, long cloth 57 inches Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, shirting, lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, georgette, Bata gents sandals pair, Bata gents sponge chappal pair, Bata ladies sandal pair, electricity charges for q1, gas charges, 40 kg whole firewood, energy savers, Sufi washing soap, matchboxes, petrol super, hi-speed diesel, and telephone call charges.
