ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended December 30, 2021 recorded a decrease of 0.50 percent due to decrease in the prices of food items including tomatoes (30.92 percent), potatoes (7.92 percent), chilies powdered (5.78 percent), onions (2.39 percent), wheat flour (0.42 percent), maash (0.22 percent), and non-food item LPG (1.59 percent), says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The year-on-year trend depicts increase of 20.05 percent mainly due increase in electricity for Q1 (83.95 percent), LPG (68.30 percent), cooking oil 5 litre (59.06 percent), vegetable ghee 1kg (55.71 percent), vegetable ghee 2.5kg (55.24 percent), mustard oil (52.72 percent), gents sponge chappal (50.25 percent), washing soap (45.28 percent), gents sandal (44.49 percent), masoor (36.08 percent), petrol (35.42 percent), and diesel (26.72 percent), while major decrease observed in the prices of tomatoes (39.55 percent), moong (24.73 percent), onions (17.85 percent), eggs (nine percent), and potatoes (6.55 percent).
According to the latest data, the SPI went down from 168.83 percent during the week ended December 23, 2021 to 167.98 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 decreased by 0.80 percent, 0.72 percent, 0.61 percent, 0.54 percent, and 0.40 percent respectively.
During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 22 (43.14 percent) items increased, seven (13.72 percent) items decreased, and 22 (43.14 percent) items remained stable, said the PBS in weekly SPI data.
The commodities, which recorded increase in their average prices include bananas (3.19 percent), chicken (2.16 percent), tea prepared (2.05 percent), eggs (1.45 percent), masoor (1.10 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5kg tin each (0.87 percent), pulse gram (0.83 percent), rice irri-6/9 (0.71 percent), sugar (0.64 percent), garlic (0.63 percent), Sufi washing soap (0.62 percent), rice basmati broken (0.55 percent), powdered milk Nido390gm polybag each (0.46 percent), mutton (0.39 percent), curd (0.30 percent), moong (0.25 percent), mustard oil (0.24 percent), beef with bone (0.17 percent), firewood whole 40kg (0.13 percent), cooked daal(0.06 percent), gur (0.03 percent), and cooking oil Daldaor other similar brand (sn), 5 litre tin each (0.03 percent).
The commodities which recorded decrease in their prices during the period under review include tomatoes (30.92 percent), potatoes (7.92 percent), chilies powder national 200gm packet each (5.78 percent), onions (2.39 percent), LPG (1.59 percent), wheat flour bag 20kg (0.42 percent), and maash (0.22 percent).
The commodities whose prices remained unchanged during the period included bread plain (small size), milk fresh, vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1kg pouch each, salt powdered (National/Shan) 800gm packet each, tea Lipton Yellow Label, cooked beef, 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, ladies sandal Bata, electricity charges for q1 per unit, gas charges, energy saver, match box, petrol super, hi-speed diesel, telephone call charges, and toilet soap Lifebuoy.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022