ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended August 26, 2021 recorded an increase of 0.22 percent due to increase in prices of food items including chicken (9.52 percent), masoor (9.32 percent), onions (7.55 percent), garlic (5.21 percent), bananas (5.02 percent), maash (3.33 percent), and vegetable ghee (1.80 percent), says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The year-on-year trend depicts, increase of 12.67 percent with most of the items increased, mainly, LPG (57.28 percent), electricity for Q1 (46.55 percent), chicken (38.24 percent, vegetable ghee 1kg (37.90 percent), mustard oil (36.72 percent), vegetable ghee 2.5kg (36.28 percent), chilies powder (35.71 percent), cooking oil 5 liter (34.84 percent), eggs (33.81 percent), gents sandal (33.37 percent, gents sponge chappal (25.13 percent), washing soap (21.72 percent), and match box (21.51 percent), while a major decrease was observed in the prices of potatoes (25.43 percent), moong (19.17 percent), and tomatoes (6.66 percent). According to the latest data, the SPI went up from 151.80 percent during the week ended August 19, 2021 to 152.14 percent during the week under review.
The SPI for the consumption groups up to Rs17,733, Rs17,733 to Rs22,888, Rs22,889 to Rs29,517, Rs29,518 to Rs44,175 and for above Rs44,175 increased by 0.20 percent, 0.24 percent, 0.29 percent, 0.31 percent, and 0.15 percent respectively. During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 22 items (43.15 percent) increased, five items (9.80 percent) decreased, and 24 items (47.05 percent) remained constant, said the PBS in weekly SPI data.
The commodities, which recorded increase in their average prices include chicken (9.52 percent), masoor (9.32 percent), onions (7.55 percent), garlic (5.21 percent), bananas (5.02 percent), maash (5.20 percent), eggs (2.86 percent), pulse gram (2.85 percent), mustard oil (2.02 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1kg pouch each (1.80 percent), cooking oil Dalda or other similar brand (sn), 5-litre tin each (0.86 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5kg tin each (0.59 percent), curd (0.59 percent), beef with bone (0.56 percent), toilet soap (0.48 percent), rice basmati broken (0.41 percent), pulse moong (0.34 percent), wheat flour bag 20 kg (0.31 percent), milk fresh (0.29 percent), mutton (0.29 percent), sugar (0.13 percent) and rice irri-6/9 (0.03 percent).
According to the PBS, the decrease was observed in the prices of tomatoes (29.88 percent), LPG (2.63 percent), potatoes (2.11 percent), gur (0.02 percent), and lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam 1 mtr (0.01 percent).
The prices of commodities, which remained constant included bread plain, powdered milk, salt powdered, chilies powder, tea Lipton Yellow Label, cooked beef, cooked daal, tea prepared, cigarettes Capstan 20’s packet each, long cloth 57” Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, shirting, Georgette, gents sandal Bata pair, gents sponge chappal Bata pair, ladies sandal Bata pair, electricity charges, gas charges, firewood whole 40kg, energy saver, Sufi washing soap, match box, petrol super per litre, hi-speed diesel per litre, and telephone call charges.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021