ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended May 27, 2021 recorded a decline of 0.63 percent over the last week due to decrease in the prices of food items including chicken (14.49 percent), onions (10.61 percent), bananas (6.35 percent), sugar (0.69 percent), and wheat flour (0.10 percent), says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The year-on-year trend depicts increase of 16.34 percent with most of the items increased mainly chilies powder (129.95 percent), electricity for Q1 (61.62 percent), eggs (55.60 percent), diesel (38.03 percent), mustard oil (34.76 percent), gents sandal (33.37 percent), petrol (32.96 percent), match box (31.64 percent), wheat flour (27.74 percent), and chicken (25.83 percent), while a major decrease was observed in the prices of garlic (36.08 percent), onions (31.22 percent), moong (21.16 percent), potatoes (21.08 percent), and masoor (2.53 percent).

According to the latest data, the SPI went down from 150.23 points during the week ended May 20, 2021 to 149.29 percent during the week under review.

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 for above Rs44,175 per month decreased by 0.48 percent, 0.57 percent, 0.58 percent, 0.62 percent, and 0.76 percent respectively.

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 12 (23.5 percent) items increased, 10 (19.6 percent) items decreased, and 29 (56.9 percent) items remained constant, said the PBS in weekly SPI data.

The commodities, which recorded increase in their average prices include LPG (3.36 percent), tomatoes (2.76 percent), masoor (2.25 percent), gur (1.68 percent), beef with bone (1.46 percent), gram (1.35 percent), mutton (1.32 percent), mustard oil (0.66 percent), curd (0.53 percent), Sufi washing soap (0.46 percent), milk fresh (0.36 percent), and powdered milk NIDO (0.05 percent).

According to the PBS, decrease was observed in the price of chicken (14.49 percent), onions (10.61 percent), bananas (6.35 percent), garlic (3.07 percent), potatoes (1.67 percent), eggs (0.88 percent), moong (0.78 percent), sugar (0.69 percent), maash (0.58 percent), and wheat flour bag 20kg (0.10 percent).

The commodities, prices of which remain unchanged during the period under review include rice basmati broken, rice irri-6/9 (Sindh/Punjab), bread plain, cooking oil Dalda or other similar brand (sn), 5 litre tin each, vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5 kg tin each, vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1kg pouch each, salt powdered (National/Shan), chilies powder National 200gm packet each, tea Lipton Yellow Label, cooked, cooked daal, tea prepared, cigarettes Capstan 20's packet each, long cloth 57" Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, shirting, lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, Georgette, gents sandal Bata pair, gents sponge chappal Bata pair, ladies sandal Bata pair, electricity charges for q1, gas charges, firewood whole 40kg, energy saver, match box, petrol super, hi-speed diesel, telephone call charges, and toilet soap.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021