ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended September 24, 2020, recorded an increase of 0.32 percent over last week due to rise in prices of food items, ie, onions (10.63 percent), tomatoes (9.29 percent), and sugar (1.66 percent).
According to the latest data, released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the SPI went up from 137.59 points during the week ended September 17, 2020 to 138.03 points, during the week under review.
The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 8.86 percent with most of the items increased, mainly, tomatoes (100.56 percent), chilies powder (86.31 percent), potatoes (65.32 percent), moong (41.11 percent), eggs (38.76 percent), mash (35.84 percent), sugar (29.13 percent), masoor (25.88 percent), bread (18.80 percent), match box (18.03 percent), gur (17.85 percent), washing soap 250 gm (17.23 percent), vegetable ghee 1kg (17.13 percent), wheat flour bag (16.38 percent), mustard oil (15.89 percent), vegetable ghee 2.5kg (15.52 percent), and long cloth (15.45 percent).
While a major decrease was observed in the price of chicken (26.92 percent), onions (25.60 percent), diesel (16.10 percent), garlic (12.47 percent), petrol (8.11 percent), and LPG (7.11 percent).
The weekly SPI covers 17 urban centres and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups.
During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 22 (43.13 percent) items increased, eight (16.67 percent) items decreased, and 21 (41.17 percent) items remained constant, according to the provisional figures released by the PBS.
The SPI for the consumption groups up to Rs17,733, from Rs17,733 to Rs22,888, Rs22,889 to Rs29,517, Rs29,518 to Rs44,175 and above Rs44,175 per month increased by 0.58 percent, 0.50 percent, 0.42 percent, 0.37 percent, and 0.24 percent respectively. The commodities, which recorded increase in their average price include onions (10.63 percent), tomatoes (9.29 percent), sugar refined (1.66 percent), Sufi washing soap (1.19 percent), masoor (0.78 percent), rice basmati broken (0.78) gur (0.73 percent), eggs hen (0.73 percent), mutton (0.73 percent), Energy Saver (0.69 percent), cooked daal (0.56 percent), mustard oil (0.55 percent), tea prepared (0.47 percent), cooked beef (0.39 percent), mash (0.32 percent), cooking oil (0.24 percent), vegetable ghee (0.19 percent), curd (0.12 percent), beef with bone (0.07 percent), gram (0.04 percent), and wheat flour bag (0.03 percent).
The commodities, which recorded decrease in their average price, include chicken farm broiler (5.33 percent), bananas (4.45 percent), potatoes (3.11 percent), LPG (0.72 percent), moong (0.64 percent), electricity charges (0.49 percent), garlic (0.24 percent), and rice Irri-6/9 (0.20 percent).
Prices of the commodities that observed no change during the week under review include rice bread plain, milk fresh, powdered milk, salt powdered (National/Shan), chilies powder, tea Lipton Yellow Label, cigarettes, long cloth 57" Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, shirting, lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, Georgette, gents sandal, gents sponge chappal, ladies sandal, gas charges, firewood, match box, petrol super, hi-speed diesel, telephone call charges, and toilet soap.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020