ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended on December 10, 2020 recorded a decrease of 0.26 percent over last week due to fall in prices of food items i.e. potatoes (7.31 percent), sugar (6.97 percent), onions (6.78 percent), tomatoes (1.22 percent), and wheat flour bag (0.72 percent), said the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). According to the latest data, released by the PBS, the SPI went down from 141.41 points during the week ended December 4, 2020 to 141.04 points during the week under review. The PBS data further stated that the year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 8.44 percent with majority of items increased mainly chilies powder (86.31 percent), chicken (68.29 percent), eggs (63.66 percent), potatoes (48.63 percent), match box (24.40 percent), Sufi washing soap (21.42 percent), mash (18.72 percent), vegetable ghee 1kg (18.21 percent), moong (16.90 percent), long cloth (16.57 percent), mustard oil (16.18 percent), shirting (16.11 percent), masoor (15.17 percent), and rice irri (15.14 percent), while a major decrease was observed in the price of onions (21.97 percent), garlic (17 percent), diesel (15.56 percent), petrol (11.58 percent), electricity for Q1 (9.84 percent), tomatoes (9.59 percent), and LPG (2.78 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 0.56 percent, 0.48 percent, 0.38 percent, 0.30 percent, and 0.16 percent, respectively.
During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 16 (31.37 percent) items increased, 13 (25.49 percent) items decreased, and 22 (43.14 percent) items remained constant.
The commodities, which recorded increase in their average price include eggs (6.96 percent), garlic (1.07 percent), vegetable ghee (0.82 percent), vegetable ghee (0.79 percent), firewood whole (0.73 percent), mustard oil (0.65 percent), Sufi washing soap (0.56 percent), rice irri-6/9 (0.53 percent), beef with bone (0.46 percent), bananas (0.45 percent), chicken (0.43 percent), shirting (0.34 percent), cooked beef (0.31 percent), cooking oil (0.28 percent), mutton (0.07 percent), and cooked daal (0.05 percent).
The commodities, which recorded decrease in their average price include potatoes ( 7.31 percent), sugar refined (6.97 percent), onions (6.78 percent), tomatoes (1.22 percent), masoor (0.96 percent), gur (0.79 percent), wheat flour bag 20 kg (0.72 percent), mash (0.32 percent), rice basmati broken (0.30 percent), gram (0.26 percent), moong (0.22 percent), LPG (0.22 percent), and curd (0.05 percent). According to the PBS, the commodities whose prices remained unchanged during the period under review include bread plain, milk fresh, powdered milk, salt powdered, chilies powder, tea, tea prepared, cigarettes Capstan, long cloth 57", lawn printed, Georgette, gents sandal, gents sponge, ladies sandal, electricity charges for Q1, gas charges, energy saver, match box, petrol super, hi-speed diesel, telephone call charges, and toilet soap Lifebuoy.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020