ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended February 4, 2021 recorded an increase of 0.53 percent over last week due to rise in prices of food items inducing i.e. chilies powder (7.45 percent), chicken (3.04 percent), cooking oil (2.50 percent), bananas (2.14 percent), and pulse gram (1.10 percent), and among non-food items, gent sandal (33.37 percent), gents sponge chappal (25.13 percent), match box (2.80 percent), diesel (2.57 percent), petrol (2.49 percent), and LPG (2.35 percent), says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

According to the latest data, the SPI went up from 140.88 points during the week ended January 28, 2021 to 141.62 points during the week under review.

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 31 (60.78 percent) items increased, seven (13.72 percent) items decreased, and 13 (25.49 percent) items remained constant, said the PBS in weekly SPI data.

The PBS data further stated that the year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 7.82 percent with most of the items increased mainly chilies powder National pack (139.58 percent), gents sandal (33.37 percent), eggs (31.69 percent), match box (28.91 percent), gents sponge chappal (25.13 percent), mustard oil (22.68 percent), chicken (18.59 percent), washing soap (17.93 percent), vegetable ghee 1kg (16.83 percent), shirting (16.19 percent), and long cloth (16.07 percent) while a major decrease was observed in the price of garlic (34.69 percent), onions (29.18 percent), tomatoes (25.74 percent), pulse gram (10.19 percent), diesel (8.70 percent), potatoes (7.70 percent), LPG (4.11 percent), petrol (3.99 percent), electricity for Q1 (3.82 percent), and moong (1.84 percent).

The SPI for the consumption groups up to Rs17,733, from Rs17,733 to Rs22,888, Rs22,889 to Rs29,517 and Rs29,518 to Rs44,175 and above Rs44,175 per month increased by 0.46 percent, 0.47 percent, 0.48 percent, 0.51 percent, and 0.55 percent, respectively.

The commodities, which recorded increase in their average prices include gents sandal Bata pair (33.37 percent), gents sponge chappal (25.13 percent), chilies powder (7.45 percent), chicken (3.04 percent), match box (2.80 percent), hi-speed diesel per litre (2.57 percent), cooking oil Dalda or other similar brand (sn), 5 litre tin each (2.50 percent), petrol super per litre (2.49 percent), LPG (2.35 percent), bananas (2.14 percent), Sufi washing soap (1.60 percent), cooked daal (1.52 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1kg pouch each (1.45 percent), pulse gram 1kg (1.10 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5kg tin each (0.92 percent), shirting (0.75 percent), cooked beef (0.70 percent), mustard oil (0.56 percent), toilet soap (0.51 percent), garlic (0.43 percent), Georgette (0.38 percent), rice basmati broken (0.38 percent), masoor (0.36 percent), gur (0.33 percent), energy saver Philips 14 watt each (0.30 percent), moong (0.21 percent), powdered milk Nido 390gm polybag each (0.18 percent), beef with bone (0.12 percent), mutton (0.06 percent), firewood whole 40kg (0.05 percent), and irri-6/9 (Sindh/Punjab) 1kg (0.04 percent).

According to the PBS, decrease was observed in the price of tomatoes (10.46 percent), onions (2.49 percent), eggs (1.30 percent), potatoes (0.15 percent), maash (0.10 percent), sugar refined (0.09 percent), and wheat flour bag 20kg (0.03 percent).

According to the PBS, the commodities which remained stable during the period under review include bread plain (small size), milk fresh, curd, salt powdered, tea Lipton Yellow Label, tea prepared ordinary per cup, cigarettes Capstan, long cloth 57" Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, ladies sandal Bata pair, electricity charges for Q1 per unit, gas charges, and telephone call charges.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021

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