ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended February 18, 2021 recorded an increase of 0.55 percent over the last week due to rise in prices of food items including chicken (8.89 percent), pulse gram (2.37 percent), rice Irri 6/9 (1.23 percent), and vegetable ghee (1.14 percent), and among non-food items lawn printed (3.57 percent) and long cloth (3.50 percent), says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
According to the latest data, the SPI went up from 142.85 points during the week ended February 11, 2021 to 143.63 points during the week under review.
During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 25 (49.02 percent) items increased, eight (15.68 percent) items decreased, and 18 (35.29 percent) items remained constant, said the PBS in weekly SPI data.
The PBS data further stated that the year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 9.92 percent with most of the items increased mainly chilies powder National pack (143.07 percent), eggs (54.29 percent), chicken (50.30 percent), gents sandal (33.37 percent), match box (30.47 percent), gents sponge chappal (25.13 percent), mustard oil (23.17 percent), washing soap (19.70 percent), sugar (18.73 percent), long cloth (18.56 percent), rice irri 6/9 (17.63 percent), veg ghee 1 kg (16.89 percent) and veg ghee 2.5kg (15.46 percent) while a major decrease was observed in the price of onions (43.04 percent), garlic (35.30 percent), tomatoes (27.66 percent), diesel (8.70 percent), LPG (4.97 percent), petrol (3.99 percent), pulse gram (3.42 percent), potatoes (2.81 percent), and electricity for q1 (0.24 percent).
The SPI for the consumption groups up to Rs17,733, from Rs17,733 to Rs22,888, Rs22,889 to Rs29,517 and Rs29,518 to Rs44,175 and above Rs44,175 per month increased by 0.55 percent, 0.58 percent, 0.56 percent, 0.56 percent, and 0.54 percent, respectively.
The commodities, which recorded increase in their average prices include chicken (8.89 percent), lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam 1 mtr (3.57 percent), long cloth 57" Gul Ahmed/Al Karam 1 mtr (3.50 percent), pulse gram 1kg (2.37 percent), maash (1.83 percent), chilies powder National 200 gm packet each (1.81 percent), eggs hen (1.53 percent), rice irri-6/9 (1.23 percent), match box (1.21 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5kg tin each (1.14 percent), moong (0.83 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1kg pouch each (0.72 percent), mustard oil (0.71 percent), masoor (0.68 percent), rice basmati broken (0.62 percent), bananas (0.56 percent), cooked beef at average hotel per plate (0.49 percent), Georgette (0.41 percent), sugar refined (0.40 percent), beef with bone (0.22 percent), gur (0.19 percent), milk fresh (0.11 percent), mutton (0.06 percent), curd (0.03 percent), and firewood whole 40kg (0.01 percent).
According to the PBS, decrease was observed in the price of tomatoes (4 percent), LPG (2.32 percent), potatoes (2.11), wheat flour bag 20kg (1.99 percent), onions (1.73 percent), tea Lipton Yellow Label (0.23 percent), powdered milk Nido (0.03 percent), and garlic (0.03 percent). According to the PBS, the commodities which remained stable during the period under review include bread plain, cooking oil Dalda or other similar brand (sn), 5 litre tin each, salt powdered (National/Shan), cooked daal at average hotel per plate, tea prepared, cigarettes capstan 20's packet, shirting, gents sandal Bata pair, gents sponge chappal Bata pair, ladies sandal Bata pair, electricity charges for Q1 per unit, gas charges, energy saver Philips, Sufi washing soap, petrol super per litre, hi-speed diesel per litre, telephone call charges per minute, and toilet soap Lifebuoy.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021