ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI)-based inflation for the week ended on 31st August 2023 increased by 0.54 percent due to an increase in the prices of food items, sugar (7.17 percent), gur (2.11 percent), masoor (1.50 percent), non-food items, gents sandal (15.01 percent), LPG (3.92 percent), lawn printed (2.36 percent), and matchbox (1.07 percent), says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 24.39 percent mainly due to increase in the prices of wheat flour (126.26 percent), gas charges for Q1 (108.38 percent), cigarettes (101.29 percent), sugar (94.06 percent), tea Lipton (93.94 percent), rice basmati broken (89.04 percent), chilies powder (86.05 percent), rice irri-6/9 (81.82 percent), gur (67.02 percent), gents sponge chappal (58.05 percent), gent sandal (53.37 percent), salt powdered (49.09 percent), bread (45.42 percent) and powdered milk (43.44 percent), while a decrease is observed in the prices of onions (57.06 percent), tomatoes (48.77 percent), electricity for Q1 (21.96 percent) and masoor (9.04 percent).
The SPI for the week under review was recorded at 277.21 points against 275.71 points registered in the previous week, according to the PBS data released on Friday.
During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 20 (39.22 percent) items increased, eight (15.68 percent) items decreased and 23 (45.10 percent) items remained stable.
The SPI for the consumption group up to Rs 17,732, Rs 17,732-Rs 22,888, Rs 22,889-Rs 29,517 and Rs 29,518-Rs 44,175 and for above Rs 44,175 consumption group increased by 0.68 percent, 0.65 percent, 0.60 percent, 0.57 percent and 0.49 percent respectively.
The items which recorded an increase in their average prices during the week over the previous include gents sandal Bata pair (15.01 percent), sugar (7.17 percent),LPG (3.92 percent), lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam (2.36 percent),long cloth 57” Gul Ahmed/Al Karam(2.22 percent), gur (2.11 percent), masoor (1.50 percent), maash (1.39 percent), match box each (1.07 percent), rice irri-6/9 (0.96 percent), pulse gram (0.70 percent), eggs (0.70 percent), cooking oil Dalda or other similar brand, 5 litre tin each (0.58 percent), bread plain (0.57 percent), potatoes (0.37 percent), rice basmati broken (0.34 percent), milk fresh (0.13 percent), curd (0.12 percent), wheat flour bag 20 kg (0.11 percent), and daal moong (0.07 percent).
The items, which recorded a decrease in their average prices during the week over the previous include tomatoes (3.36 percent), bananas (2.49 percent), onions (2.01 percent), chicken (1.23 percent), garlic (0.58 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5 kg tin each (0.31 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1kg pouch each (0.19 percent), and mustard oil (0.04 percent).
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023