Weekly SPI down 0.09pc

ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Index (SPI) for the week ended on March 28, 2024, decreased by 0.09 per cent due to a decline in the prices of tomatoes (12.04 per cent), wheat flour (3.80 per cent), garlic (2.59 per cent), LPG (2.42 per cent), onions (1.74 per cent), and sugar (0.49 per cent), says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 29.41 per cent mainly due to an increase in the prices of gas charges for Q1 (570 per cent), chilies powder (86.05 per cent), onions (78.98 per cent), gents sponge chappal (58.05 per cent), gents sandal (53.37 per cent), garlic (52.20 per cent), gur (37.70 per cent), chicken (37.57 per cent), salt powder (33.29 per cent), sugar (31.56 per cent), energy saver (29.83 per cent), and maash (27.09 per cent) while a decrease is observed in the prices of cooking oil 5-litre (20.50 per cent), bananas (20.20 per cent), vegetable ghee 2.5kg (17.87 per cent), vegetable ghee 1kg (17.72 per cent), mustard oil (14.02 per cent), diesel (2.47 per cent), wheat flour (0.27 per cent), and cigarettes (0.06 per cent).

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of four(7.84 per cent) items increased, 18 (35.30 per cent) items decreased, and 29 (56.86 per cent) items remained stable.

The SPI for the week under review was recorded at 323.20 points against 323.50 points registered in the previous week, according to the PBS data released on Friday.

The SPI for the consumption group up to Rs17,732, Rs17,732-Rs22,888, Rs22,889-Rs29,517, Rs29,518-Rs44,175 and above Rs44,175 decreased by 0.27 per cent, 0.22 per cent, 0.17 per cent, 0.12 per cent, and 0.03 per cent respectively.

The items, prices of which, increased during the period review include chicken (4.92 per cent), eggs (1.61 per cent), shirting (0.56 per cent), and rice irri-6/9 (0.15 per cent).

The items, prices of which, declined during the period under review include tomatoes (12.04 per cent), wheat flour bag 20kg (3.80 per cent), garlic (2.59 per cent), LPG (2.42 per cent), onions (1.74 per cent), potatoes (1.07 per cent), bananas (0.77 per cent), pulse gram (0.57 per cent), sugar (0.49 per cent), masoor (0.34 per cent), rice basmati broken (0.33 per cent), mustard oil (0.31 per cent), gur (0.24 per cent), moong (0.21 per cent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1kg pouch each (0.19 per cent), cooking oil Dalda or other similar brand (sn), 5-litre tin each (0.18 per cent), maash (0.14 per cent), and vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib (0.03 per cent).

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024