The Sensitive Price Index (SPI) for the week ended on March 21, 2024 declined by 1.13 percent mainly due to decline in the prices of tomatoes (36.73percent), onions (19.58percent), potatoes (4.02percent), garlic (2.87percent), pulse mash (1.25percent), wheat flour (1.02percent), sugar (0.95percent) and diesel (0.60percent), says Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
According to Arif Habib Limited, this is the lowest level after 14 September 2023.
The year-on-year trend depicts increase of 29.06 percent mainly due to increase in the prices of gas charges for Q1 (570 percent), chilies powder (86.05percent), gents sponge chappal (58.05percent), garlic (57.41percent), onions (54.65percent), gents sandal (53.37percent), gur (39.86percent), sugar (35.01percent), salt powder (33.29percent), energy saver (29.83percent) and pulse mash (27.31percent) while decrease is observed in the prices of cooking oil 5 liter (21.35percent), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (18.48percent), vegetable ghee 1 kg (18.44percent), mustard oil (13.90percent), bananas (13.52percent), diesel (2.47percent) and cigarettes (0.06percent).
During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 09 (17.65 percent) items increased, 17 (33.33 percent) items decreased and 25 (49.02 percent) items remained stable.
The SPI for the week under review was recorded at 323.50 points against 327.21 points registered in the previous week, according to the PBS data released on Friday.
The SPI for the consumption group up to Rs. 17,732, Rs. 17,732-Rs. 22,888, Rs. 22,889-Rs. 29,517, Rs. 29,518-Rs. 44,175 and above Rs. 44,175 decreased by 1.83 percent, 1.64 percent, 1.34 percent, 1.25 percent, and 0.91 percent respectively.
The items prices of which increased during the period review include LPG (1.49 percent), shirting (0.74 percent), beef with bone (0.53 percent), rice basmati broken (0.48 percent), mutton (0.42 percent), mustard oil (0.40 percent), rice IRRI-6/9 (0.25 percent), powdered milk NIDO 390 gm Polybag Each (0.14 percent) and georgette (0.03 percent).
The items prices of which declined during the period under review include tomatoes (36.73 percent), onions (19.58 percent), potatoes (4.02 percent), garlic (2.87 percent), pulse mash (1.25 percent), wheat flour bag 20 kg (1.02 percent), sugar (0.95 percent), pulse masoor (0.86 percent), hi-speed diesel (0.60 percent), eggs (0.46 percent), pulse moong (0.28 percent), pulse gram (0.27 percent), cooking oil dalda or other similar brand (sn), 5 litre tin each (0.23 percent), chicken (0.16 percent), vegetable ghee dalda/habib 2.5 kg tin each (0.15 percent), bananas (0.01 percent) and gur (0.01 percent).
