ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI)-based inflation for the week ended March 9, 2023, recorded an increase of 1.37 percent due to an increase in the prices of food items including tomatoes (12.43 percent), potatoes (11.37 percent), onions (9.26 percent), sugar (5.48 percent), bananas (5.31 percent), cooking oil 5 litre (4.27 percent), wheat flour (4.06 percent), milk fresh (1.82 percent) and non-food items including lawn printed (two percent) and shirting (1.45 percent), says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 42.27 percent due to an increase in the prices of onions (305.23 percent), cigarettes (165.86 percent), gas charges for Q1 (108.38 percent), diesel (93.82 percent), eggs (78.63 percent), rice irri-6/9 (78.14 percent), petrol (77.89 percent), rice basmati broken (77.27 percent), bananas (74.01 percent), moong (72.54 percent), tea Lipton (66.31 percent), maash (56.02 percent), pulse gram (55.97 percent) and bread (55.36 percent), while decrease is observed in the prices of tomatoes (41.79 percent), chillies powdered (7.42 percent) and electricity charges for Q1 (6.64 percent)
The SPI for the week under review was recorded at 243.87 points against 240.57 points registered in the previous week, according to the latest PBS data released on Friday.
During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 29 items increased (56.86 percent), eight items decreased (15.69 percent) and 14 items remained stable (27.45 percent).
The SPI for the consumption group up to Rs 17,732, Rs 17,732-22,888, Rs 22,889-29,517, Rs 29,518-44,175 and above Rs 44,175 consumption group increased by 1.62 percent, 1.55 percent, 1.40 percent, 1.29 percent, and 1.71 percent respectively.
The items, which recorded increase in their average prices during the week over previous include tomatoes (12.43 percent), potatoes (11.37 percent), onions (9.26 percent), sugar (5.48 percent), bananas (5.31 percent), cooking oil Daldaor other similar brand (sn), 5 litre tin each (4.27 percent), wheat flour bag 20kg (4.06 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5kg tin each (4.01 percent), lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam (two percent), curd (1.89 percent), milk fresh (1.82 percent), tea Lipton Yellow Label 190 gm packet each (1.79 percent), Sufi washing soap (1.66 percent), match box (1.63 percent), shirting (1.45 percent), rice basmati broken (1.24 percent), georgette (1.22 percent), salt powdered (1.21 percent), long cloth 57” Gul Ahmed/Al Karam (0.94 percent), tea prepared (0.84 percent), rice irri-6/9 (0.67 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1kg pouch each (0.66 percent), beef with bone (0.35 percent), maash (0.27 percent), cooked daal (0.19 percent), mutton (0.16 percent), mustard oil (0.08 percent), cooked beef (0.04 percent), and powdered milk Nido (0.04 percent).
The commodities, which recorded a decrease in their average prices included chicken (6.73 percent), garlic (2.07 percent), moong (0.83 percent), eggs (0.77 percent), masoor (0.50 percent), LPG (0.26 percent), firewood whole 40kg (0.12 percent), and pulse gram (0.05 percent).
The commodities, prices of which, remained unchanged included bread plain, gur, chilies powder National, cigarettes Capstan, gents sandal Bata pair, gents sponge chappal Bata pair, ladies sandal Bata pair, electricity charges, gas charges, energy saver, petrol super, hi-speed diesel, telephone call charges, and toilet soap Lifebuoy.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023