Inflation swells to 29.79 percent

The inflation measured through SPI increased to 29.79 percent on week, ending on October 30 over the same period of last year, said Federal Bureau of Statistics on Friday. The data on SPI released showed that there was an increase in the prices of 14 essential items, including vegetables, pulses, tea and plain bread.
The price of one kilogram tomatoes has increased during the week from Rs 28.12 to Rs 131.80; tea packet of 250 grams from Rs 94 to Rs 100; potatoes per kilogram from Rs 25.70 to Rs 27.06; masoor pulse washed per kilogram from Rs 126.92 to Rs 130.02; eggs per dozen from Rs 61.24 to Rs 62.60; bath soap (Life Buoy) from Rs 21.53 to Rs 22; firewood per 40 kilograms from Rs 256 to Rs 258; and bread plain from Rs 23.62 to Rs 23.68.
With this increase in the prices of essential commodities, the dearness for the low-income group families bracketed in Rs 3,000, was recorded at 231.72 per cent more over the same period of last year, followed by 30.46 per cent for families, falling between Rs 3,001 to Rs 5,000 income group and 31.41 percent for Rs 5,001 to Rs 12, 000.
The dearness for above Rs 12,000 income group was recorded at 29.75 percent during the period under review. The SPI bulletin, based on data of 53 items collected from 17 urban centres showed increase in prices of 14 essential commodities, decline in 19, while the prices of 20 commodities remained stable during the week, but were higher as compared to the last year.
Further analysis of the data showed that prices of 19 commodities, including vegetable ghee, bananas, cooking oil, chicken, onions, vegetable ghee (loose), gram pulse (washed), red chillies, wheat average quality, rice irri, sugar, rice basmati broken, mustard oil, moong pulse (washed), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), kerosene, gur and garlic have declined during the week. According to the FBS, the prices of 20 essential commodities remained stable during the week. However, a comparison with the same period of last years showed that prices of 42 essential commodities have increased to double digit.