ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended October 8, 2020, recorded an increase of 1.24 percent over last week due to rise in food items, ie, tomatoes (16.39 percent), onions (12.78 percent), eggs (10.78 percent), chicken (5.34 percent), wheat flour bag (2.78 percent), potatoes (2.64 percent) and sugar (1.03 percent).
According to the latest data, released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the SPI went up from 139.01 points, during the week ended October 1, 2020 to 140.73 points, during the week under review.
The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 11.28 percent with majority of the items increased mainly tomatoes (117 percent), chilies powder (86.31 percent), potatoes (64.75 percent), moong (41.13 percent), eggs (40.82 percent), mash (34.66 percent), sugar (32.08 percent), masoor (25.72 percent), bread (19.41 percent), gur (19.34 percent), wheat flour bag (18.32 percent), washing soap 250 gm (17.49 percent), vegetable ghee 1kg (17.43 percent), match box (17.07 percent), and mustard oil (16.32 percent), while a major decrease was observed in the price of diesel (18.03 percent), the LPG (13.53 percent), garlic (9.91 percent), petrol (8.11 percent), and onions (1.50 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 24 (47.06 percent) items increased, four (7.8 percent) items decreased, and 23 (45.10 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 1.56 percent, 1.53 percent, 1.40 percent, 1.34 percent, and 1.08 percent respectively.
The commodities, which recorded increase in their average price include tomatoes (16.39 percent), onions (12.78 percent), eggs hen (10.78 percent), chicken (5.34 percent), wheat flour bag 20kg (2.78 percent), potatoes (2.64 percent), masoor (1.21 percent), sugar (1.03 percent), gram (0.83 percent), rice irri-6/9 (0.70 percent), Energy Saver (0.56 percent), curd (0.52 percent), rice basmati broken (0.52 percent), LPG (0.39 percent), powdered milk (0.32 percent), mutton (0.30 percent), garlic (0.28 percent), milk fresh (0.28 percent), shirting (0.27 percent), Sufi washing soap (0.22 percent), beef with bone (0.17 percent), mustard oil (0.12 percent), cooking oil (0.07 percent), and tea prepared (0.04 percent).
The commodities, which recorded decrease in their average price, include bananas (2.17 percent), moong (0.40), mash (0.13 percent), and gur (0.04). Prices of the commodities that observed no change during the week under review include bread plain, vegetable ghee, salt powdered (National/Shan), chilies powder National, tea Lipton Yellow Label, cooked beef, cooked daal, cigarettes Capstan, Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, Georgette (average quality), gents sandal, gents sponge, ladies sandal, electricity charges, gas charges, firewood whole, match box, petrol super, hi-speed diesel, telephone call charges, and toilet soap.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020