ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended July 23, 2020 recorded an increase of 0.21 percent over the last week, mainly due to a rise in prices of food items including wheat flour (3.55 percent), potatoes (3.24 percent), sugar (2.95 percent), and curd (1.76 percent).
According to the latest data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the SPI went up from 133.61 points during the week ended July 16, 2020 to 133.89 points in the week under review.
The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 10.50 percent with most of the items increased mainly chillies powder (82.36 percent, potatoes (79.58 percent), tomatoes (51.41 percent), moong (40.77 percent), eggs (36.79 percent), maash (34.12 percent), vegetable ghee 1kg (24.07 percent), masoor (23.79 percent), vegetable ghee 2.5kg (22.35 percent), sugar (20.83 percent), chicken (18.46 percent), long cloth (18.11 percent), wheat flour (18.07 percent), and Sufi washing soap (17.76 percent), while a major decrease was observed in the price of onions (19.07 percent), diesel (18.08 percent), petrol (11.23 percent), garlic (2.46 percent), and electricity for Q1 (0.80 percent).
The weekly SPI covers 17 urban centers and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups. During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 17 (33.33 percent) items increased, 11 (21.56 percent) items decreased, and 23 (45.01 percent) items remained constant.
The SPI for the lowest income group increased by 0.43 percent compared to the previous week. The index for the group stood at 140.05 points against 139.45 points in the previous week, according to provisional figures released by the PBS.
The SPI for the consumption groups from Rs17,733 to Rs22,888, Rs22,889 to Rs29,517, Rs29,518 to 44,175, and above Rs44,175 per month increased by 0.38 percent, 0.34 percent, 0.29 percent, and 0.10 percent respectively.
The commodities, which recorded increase in their average price include wheat flour (3.55 percent or Rs34 per 20kg), sugar (2.95 percent of Rs2.5 per kg), potatoes (3.24 percent), curd (1.76 percent), onions (0.85 percent), milk fresh (0.83 percent), cooked daal (0.78 percent), bread plain (0.72 percent), mustard oil (0.64 percent), rice IRRI-6/9 (0.52 percent), gur (0.42 percent), Sufi washing soap (0.41 percent), cooked beef (0.28 percent), tea prepared (0.15 percent), mutton (0.11 percent), rice basmati broken (0.09 percent), and firewood whole (0.07 percent).
The commodities, which recorded decrease in their average price include chicken farm broiler (live) (10.27 percent), bananas (3.62 percent), masoor (washed) (1.07 percent), garlic (0.85 percent), cigarettes Capstan (0.69 percent), tomatoes (0.67 percent), LPG (0.54 percent), eggs (0.37 percent), moong (0.29 percent), gram (0.28 percent), and mash (0.25 percent).
Prices of the commodities that observed no change during the week under review include beef with bone, powdered milk Nido, cooking oil Dalda or other similar brand (sn), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5 kg tin, vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1kg pouch, salt powdered (National/Shan), chilies powder National, tea Lipton yellow label, long cloth 57" Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, shirting (average quality), lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, Georgette (average quality), gents sandal, gents sponge Chappal, ladies sandal, electricity charges, gas charges, energy saver Philips, match box, petrol super, hi-speed diesel, telephone call charges, and toilet soap.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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