ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended June 10, 2021 recorded a decline of 0.59 percent over the last week due to decrease in the prices of food items including chicken (16.19 percent), bananas (9.01 percent), moong (2.38 percent), LPG (1.66 percent), sugar (0.13 percent), and wheat flour (0.11 percent), according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The year-on-year trend depicts increase of 15.38 percent with most of the items increased mainly chillies powder (82.05 percent), electricity for Q1 (61.62 percent), petrol (45.47 percent), diesel (37.83 percent), mustard oil (35.92 percent), eggs (34.08 percent), gents sandal (33.37 percent), gents sponge chappal (25.13 percent), LPG (24.08 percent), match box (23.44 percent), and vegetable ghee (22.62 percent), while a major decrease was observed in the prices of garlic (27.27 percent), moong (23.53 percent), potatoes (16.55 percent), onions (7.14 percent), chicken (1.52 percent), salt (0.89 percent), and masoor (0.61 percent).

According to the latest data, the SPI went down from 148.38 points during the week ended June 3, 2021 to 147.51 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, Rs29,518 to Rs44,175 and for above Rs44,175 per month decreased by 0.26 percent, 0.40 percent, 0.48 percent, 0.57 percent, and 0.67 percent, respectively.

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 14 (27.45 percent) items increased, nine (17.66 percent) items decreased, and 28 (54.9 percent) items remained constant, said the PBS in the weekly SPI data.

The commodities, which recorded increase in their average prices include onions (12.01 percent), tomatoes (8.06 percent), garlic (1.53 percent), mutton (1.16 percent), toilet soap Lifebuoy (0.95 percent), mustard oil (0.87 percent), gur (0.72 percent), beef with bone (0.59 percent), curd (0.53 percent), milk fresh (0.34 percent), eggs (0.32 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1kg pouch each (0.28 percent), masoor (0.20 percent), and cooked beef (0.15 percent).

According to the PBS, decrease was observed in the price of chicken (16.19 percent), bananas (9.01 percent), moong (2.38 percent), maash (1.74 percent), LPG (1.66 percent), pulse gram (0.67 percent), potatoes (0.61 percent), sugar (0.13 percent), and wheat flour bag 20kg (0.11 percent).

The commodities, prices of which remain unchanged during the period under review include rice basmati broken, bread plain, cooking oil Dalda or other similar brands, 5 litre tin each, vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5kg tin each, salt powdered (National/Shan), chillies powder National 200gm packet each, tea Lipton Yellow Label, prepared tea, cigarettes Capstan packet, long cloth Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, 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 40 kg, energy saver, match box, petrol super, hi-speed diesel, and telephone call charges.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021