ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended May 20, 2021 recorded an increase of 0.82 percent over the last week due to increase in the prices of food items, including chicken (12.74 percent), bananas (11.26 percent), onions (6.97 percent), eggs (5.36 percent), sugar (3.35 percent), bread plain (3.30 percent), and wheat flour (3.01 percent), says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The year-on-year trend depicts increase of 17.05 per with most of the items increased mainly chilies powder (129.95 percent), electricity for Q1 (61.62 percent), eggs (56.05 percent), chicken (57.77 percent), diesel (38.03 percent), mustard oil (33.88 percent), gents sandal (33.37 percent), petrol (32.96 percent), match box (31.64 percent), bananas (31.28 percent) and wheat flour (29.37 percent), while a major decrease was observed in the prices of garlic (36.34 percent), onions (24.76 percent), moong (20.34 percent), potatoes (18.25 percent), tomatoes (7.12 percent), masoor (5.77 percent), and LPG (0.79 percent).
According to the latest data, the SPI went up from 149.01 points during the week ended May 13, 2021 to 150.23 percent during the week under review.
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 for above Rs44,175 per month increased by 0.66 percent, 0.62 percent, 0.84 percent, 1.03 percent, and 0.90 percent respectively.
During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 25 (49 percent) items increased, seven (13.7 percent) items decreased, and 19 (37.3 percent) items remained constant, said the PBS in weekly SPI data.
The commodities, which recorded increase in their average prices include chicken (12.74 percent), bananas (11.26 percent), onions (6.97 percent), eggs (5.36 percent), sugar (3.35 percent), bread plain (3.30 percent), wheat flour bag 20 Kg (3.01 percent), beef with bone (2.07 percent), cooked beef at average hotel (1.32 percent), garlic (1.31 percent), mustard oil (1.21 percent), mutton (1.18 percent), match box (0.90 percent), gur (0.89 percent), tea prepared (0.79 percent), powdered milk NIDO (0.79 percent), cooked daal (0.52 percent), pulse gram (0.52 percent), milk fresh (0.45 percent), toilet soap (0.26 percent), firewood whole 40 Kg (0.25 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5 kg tin each (0.19 percent), curd (0.17 percent), rice basmati broken (0.11 percent), and maash (0.05 percent).
According to the PBS, decrease was observed in the price of tomatoes (17.96 percent), electricity charges for Q1 per unit (3.24 percent), moong (0.92 percent), LPG (0.26 percent), rice IRRI-6/9 (0.11 percent), masoor (0.06 percent), and potatoes (0.02 percent).
The commodities, prices of which remain unchanged during the period under review include cooking oil Dalda or other similar brand (SN), 5 Litre tin each, vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1kg pouch each, salt powdered (National/Shan), chilies powder National, tea Lipton Yellow Label, cigarettes Capstan, long cloth 57" Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, shirting, lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, Georgette, gents sandal Bata pair, gents sponge chappal Bata pair, ladies sandal Bata pair, gas charges, energy saver Philips, Sufi washing soap, petrol super per litre, Hi-speed diesel per litre, and telephone call charges.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021