ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended on December 3, 2020 recorded a decrease of 0.23 percent over last week due to fall in prices of food items, ie, tomatoes (10.78 percent), onions (8.15 percent), potatoes (7.81 percent), sugar (7.56 percent), gur (1.39 percent), and wheat flour bag (0.38 percent), said the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

According to the latest data, released by the PBS, the SPI went down from 141.74 points during the week ended November 26, 2020, to 141.41 points during the week under review. The PBS data further stated that the year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 8.14 percent with most of the items increased mainly chilies powder (86.31 percent), chicken (67.18 percent), eggs (61.59 percent), potatoes (61.47 percent), match box (24.40 percent), sugar (22.12 percent), Sufi washing soap (21.26 percent), mash (18.97 percent), moong (17.83 percent), vegetable ghee 1kg (17.53 percent), long cloth (16.57 percent), masoor (16.12 percent), bread (15.95 percent), mustard oil (15.74 percent), shirting (15.72 percent), and gur (15.68 percent), while a major decrease was observed in the price of tomatoes (27.65 percent), onions (18.50 percent), garlic (18.20 percent), diesel (15.56 percent), petrol (11.58 percent), electricity for Q1 (9.84 percent), and LPG (2.36 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 decreased by 0.76 percent, 0.59 percent, 0.42 percent, 0.29 percent and 0.06 percent, respectively.

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 17 (33.33 percent) items increased, 13 (25.49 percent) items decreased, and 21 (41.18 percent) items remained constant.

The commodities, which recorded increase in their average price include chicken (10.57 percent), hi-speed diesel (3.92 percent), eggs (3.23 percent), bananas (2.40 percent), firewood whole (1.08 percent), vegetable ghee (1.07 percent), curd (0.89 percent), vegetable ghee (0.64 percent), cooking oil (0.55 percent), Sufi washing soap (0.39 percent), LPG (0.29 percent), moong (0.26 percent), mustard oil (0.25 percent), cooked beef (0.24 percent), milk fresh (0.19 percent), mash (0.08 percent), and powdered milk (0.01 percent).

The commodities, which recorded decrease in their average price include tomatoes (10.78 percent), onions (8.15 percent), potatoes (7.81 percent), sugar (7.56 percent), gur (1.39 percent), garlic (1.22 percent), wheat flour (0.38 percent), gram (0.21 percent), rice basmati broken (0.19 percent), masoor (0.09 percent), beef with bone (0.08 percent), rice irri-6/9 (0.03 percent), and mutton (0.03 percent).

According to the PBS, the commodities whose prices remained unchanged during the period under review include bread plain, salt powdered, chilies powder, tea Lipton Yellow Label, 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, match box, petrol super, telephone call charges, and toilet soap.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020