Weekly SPI inflation down 0.35pc

ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Index (SPI)-based inflation for the week ended on March 20, 2025 decreased by 0.35 per cent due to a decrease in the prices of tomatoes (7.08 per cent), onions (6.07 per cent), eggs (4.64 per cent) and sugar (0.87 per cent), says Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The year-on-year trend depicts a decrease of 1.20 per cent, onions (67.67 per cent), wheat flour (35.58 per cent), tomatoes (29.45 per cent), chilies powder (20.00 per cent), electricity charges for q1 (18.92 per cent), tea Lipton (16.98 per cent), maash (13.96 per cent), masoor (11.69 per cent), rice basmati broken (9.81 per cent), diesel (9.37 per cent), petrol (8.55 per cent) and LPG (5.30 per cent), while a major increase is observed in the prices of ladies sandal (75.09 per cent), moong (26.96 per cent), powdered milk (25.75 per cent), beef (21.01 per cent), sugar (18.65 per cent), chicken (18.23 per cent), pulse gram (17.83 per cent), vegetable ghee 1kg (16.13 per cent), bananas (15.73 per cent), lawn printed (12.28 per cent), shirting (12.20 per cent) and Georgette (11.20 per cent).

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 11 (21.57 per cent) items increased, 18 (35.29 per cent) items decreased 22 (43.14 per cent) items remained stable.

The SPI for the week under review recorded at 319.62 points against 320.75 points during the same period of previous week.

The SPI for the consumption group up to Rs17,732, Rs17,733-22,888, Rs22,889-29,517, Rs29,518-44,175, and above Rs44,175 decreased by 0.39 per cent, 0.35 per cent, 0.39 per cent, 0.40 per cent, and 0.36 per cent respectively.

The items prices of which increased include; lawn printed (2.90 per cent), LPG (1.53 per cent), bananas (1.45 per cent), long cloth (1.23 per cent), bread (0.55 per cent), cigarettes (0.27 per cent), beef (0.25 per cent), curd (0.24 per cent) and salt powder (0.03 per cent).

The items prices of which decreased during the period under review include, tomatoes (7.08 per cent), onions (6.07 per cent), garlic (lehsun) (5.59 per cent), eggs (4.64 per cent), hen (farm) (4.64 per cent), potatoes (2.50 per cent), pulse gram (1.60 per cent), tea Lipton Yellow Label (1.30 per cent), sugar refined (0.87 per cent) mustard oil (0.86 per cent), gur (0.62 per cent), firewood whole (0.60 per cent), chicken farm broiler (live) (0.57 per cent), moong (washed) (0.19 per cent), masoor (washed) (0.08 per cent), rice irri-6/9 (Sindh/Punjab) (0.06 per cent), cooking oil Dalda or other similar brand (sn), 5-litre tin each (0.06 per cent), maash (washed) (0.06 per cent), and wheat flour bag 20kg (0.05 per cent).

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025