Weekly inflation: SPI surges by 14.8 percent

The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) surged by 14.80 percent during the first week of Ramazan ending on August 4 over the same period of last year, following considerable increase in the prices of 24 essential commodities, according to Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS). Official figures on SPI released by the FBS on Saturday for the week ending on August 4, 2011 showed a 0.04 percent increase in combined SPI over the previous week.
Inflation was recorded 15.37 percent higher (compared to same week of last year) for Rs 3000 monthly income group, followed by 14.65 percent for people bracketed in Rs 3001 to Rs 5000 monthly earning. The inflation soared by 14.04 percent for people earning Rs 5001 Rs 12,000 monthly income, and 14.73 percent for above Rs 12,000 monthly earners.
Weekly inflation, computed on the basis of 53 essential items, collected from 17 urban centres, showed increase in the prices of 24 items, and decrease in prices of 8 essential commodities, whereas prices of 21 items remained stable but considerably higher compared to last year.
Analysis of data showed that the price of per kg onion went up from Rs 21.09 per kg on July 28 to Rs 22.69 per kg on August 4, banana from Rs 75.22 to Rs 61.07, potatoes Rs 30 to Rs 32, chicken farm Rs 166 to Rs 172, kerosene oil litre from Rs 96 to Rs 98, petrol kg from Rs 84.61 to Rs 85.86, beef kg from Rs 235.61 to Rs 238.41, shirting metre from Rs 100.53 to Rs 101.71, sugar kg from Rs 71.83 to Rs 72.57, gur kg from Rs 86.39 to Rs 87.10, salt powdered kg from Rs 7.74 to Rs 7.79, rice basmati broken kg from Rs 58.16 to 58.46, rice Irri-6 kg from Rs 43.86 to Rs 44.06, coarse latha metre from Rs 73.47 to 73.77, mutton kg from Rs 454.34 to Rs 456.11, gram pulse washed kg from Rs 73,01 to Rs 73.28, tomatoes kg from Rs 39.00 to Rs 39.12, electric bulb 60 watts each from Rs 24.47 to Rs 24.53, mustard oil kg from Rs 169.74 to Rs 170.15, firewood 40 kg from Rs 398.63 to Rs 399.51, tea (prepared) cup from Rs 13.65 to Rs 13.67, lawn from Rs 127.59 to Rs 127.76, egg hen (farm) from Rs 81.53 to Rs 81.59, vegetable oil loose from Rs 166.81 to Rs 166.86.
According to FBS, the price of wheat flour average quality decreased from Rs 29.71 per kg previous week to Rs 28.60 on week ending on August 4, garlic from Rs 140.52 per kg to Rs 139.00, masoor pulse washed from Rs 107.65 per kg to Rs 106.73, red chillies from Rs 253.91 per kg to Rs 252.59, mash pulse washed from Rs 153.93 per kg to Rs 153.16 and LPG (11 kg cylinder) from Rs 1362.53 to Rs 1357.53.