The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) year-on-year of 53 essential items for the week ending on November 2 has shown 10.33 percent increase as compared to the corresponding week of the last year. Last week's figures ending on October 27 with record surge in the index (11.86 percent) were not reported by the Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) due to Eid holidays.
However, this week's data on SPI, based on 53 items from 17 urban centres, showed that 23 items registered increase; 10 items showed decline; while prices of 20 items remained unchanged with reference to the last week prices.
The weekly bulletin of FBS shows that the rise in the prices of some necessities and kitchen items in 12 months has been substantial. These items are pulses, curd, milk (fresh), gas, kerosene oil, LPG, firewood, potatoes and onions, which directly hit the low-income group. Whereas, onions showed the highest increase of 145 percent, while sugar despite new high revised rates still registered 22 percent increase over last year.
Analysis of the data suggests 45 items showed increase over the last year. Out of these, 20 items of significance to low-income group include: onions, 145 percent; potatoes, 35 percent; sugar, 22 percent; salt, 25 percent; red chilies, 21 percent; gram pulse, 54 percent; moong pulse, 42 percent; mash pulse, 52 percent; gur, 17 percent; beef, 15 percent; milk, 11 percent; curd, 10 percent; tea, 11 percent; match, box 10 percent; firewood, 20 percent; petrol, 3 percent; diesel, 4 percent; LPG, 19 percent; kerosene, 7 percent; and gas increased by 20 percent.
Moreover, few items, showing decrease from the previous, week are still dearer when compared to corresponding week of the last year, which are onions, potatoes, gur, moong and mash pulse and LPG.
This week's lowest income group up to Rs3000 has been hit severely with 12.79 percent increment, whereas the income group of above Rs 12,000 remained the lowest affected with 9.89 percent. The intermediate groups of Rs3001-5000 and 5001-12000 showed percentage increase of 12.19 and 11.75, respectively.