ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended September 3, 2020, recorded an increase of 0.80 percent over the last week due to rise in food items, ie, tomatoes (26.57 percent), onion (11.66 percent), eggs (4.14 percent), potatoes (3.02 percent), and non-food item LPG (1.59 percent).
According to the latest data, released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the SPI went up from 135.03 points during the week ended August 27, 2020 to 136.11 points during the week under review. The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 9.47 percent with majority of the items increased mainly, chilies powder (86.31 percent), potatoes (74.69 percent), tomatoes (62.91 percent), eggs (33.97 percent, moong (33.70 percent), mash (31.25 percent), sugar (24.56 percent), masoor (23.60 percent), bread (19.22 percent), vegetable ghee 1Kg (17.37 percent), match box (17.21 percent), long cloth (16.51 percent), gur (16.24 percent), wheat flour bag (16.15 percent), vegetable ghee 2.5kg (15.51 percent) and rice IRRI-6/9 (15.50 percent).
While a major decrease was observed in the price of chicken (30.04 percent), onions (22.55 percent), diesel (16.10 percent), garlic (8.70 percent), petrol (8.11 percent), and LPG (0.38 percent).
The weekly SPI covers 17 urban centres and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups.
During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 20 (39.21 percent) items increased, 06 (11.76 percent) items decreased, and 25 (49.01 percent) items remained constant, according to the provisional figures released by the PBS.
The SPI for the consumption groups up to Rs17,733, from Rs17,733 to Rs22,888, Rs22,889 to Rs29,517, Rs29,518 to Rs44,175 and above Rs44,175 per month increased by 1.06 percent, 1.01 percent, 0.90 percent, 0.86 percent, and 0.69 percent respectively. The commodities, which recorded increase in their average price include tomatoes (26.57 percent), onions (11.66 percent), eggs (7.4 percent), chicken (4.14), match box (2.51 percent), garlic (2.12 percent), pulse gram (1.90 percent), the LPG (1.59 percent), cooked beef (0.9 percent), firewood (0.41 percent), curd (0.40 percent), gur (0.15 percent), potatoes (3.02 percent), and vegetable ghee (0.06 percent).
The commodities, which recorded decrease in their average price include banana (3.66 percent), sugar refined (0.90 percent), mash (0.52 percent), rice basmati broken (0.21 percent), masoor (0.14 percent), and wheat flour (0.07 percent).
Prices of the commodities that observed no change during the week under review include rice IPRI, bread plain, mutton, mustard oil, salt powdered, chilies powder, tea, cooked daal, tea prepared, cigarettes, long cloth 57" Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, shirting, lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, Georgette, gents sandal, gents sponge chappal, ladies sandal, electricity charges, gas charges, energy saver, petrol super, hi-speed diesel, and telephone call charges.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020