ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended August 12, 2021 recorded an increase of 0.61 percent due to increase in food items including tomatoes (37.47 percent), chicken (9.21 percent), garlic (4.45 percent), potatoes (1.31 percent) and vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (1.16 percent), says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The year-on-year trend depicts, increase of 13.33 percent with most of the items increased, mainly, electricity for Q1 (60.81 percent), LPG (57.82 percent), tomatoes (39.97 percent), chilies powder (35.71 percent), vegetable ghee 1kg (34.34 percent), vegetable ghee 2.5kg (34.15 percent), mustard oil (34.01 percent), gents sandal (33.37 percent), cooking oil 5 liter (32.89 percent), gents sponge chappal (25.13 percent), and chicken (23.08 percent), while a major decrease was observed in the prices of potatoes (21.80 percent) and moong (20.20 percent). According to the latest data, the SPI went up from 150.88 percent during the week ended August 5, 2021 to 151.80 percent during the week under review.
The SPI for the consumption groups up to Rs17,733, Rs17,733 to Rs22,888, Rs22,889 to Rs29,517, Rs29,518 to Rs44,175 and for above Rs44,175 increased by 0.65 percent, 0.69 percent, 0.65 percent, 0.64 percent and 0.56 percent respectively.
During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 18 (35.29 percent) items increased, six (11.76 percent) items decreased, and 27 (52.94 percent) items remained constant, said the PBS in the weekly SPI data.
The commodities, which recorded increase in their average prices include tomatoes (37.47 percent), chicken (9.21 percent), garlic (4.45 percent), potatoes (1.31 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5kg tin each (1.16 percent), gur (1.07 percent), tea prepared (0.68 percent), Sufi washing soap 250gm cake each (0.56 percent), mustard oil (0.55 percent), pulse gram (0.48 percent), cooking oil Dalda or other similar brand (sn), 5 litre tin each (0.37 percent), sugar (0.30 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1kg pouch each (0.21 percent), shirting (0.19 percent), maash (0.17 percent), curd (0.15 percent), firewood whole 40kg (0.11 percent), and wheat flour bag 20kg (0.01 percent).
According to the PBS, the decrease was observed in the prices of bananas (3.82 percent), eggs (1.76 percent), onions (1.72 percent), moong (1.32 percent), LPG (0.71 percent), and masoor (0.37 percent).
The prices of commodities which remained constant included rice basmati broken (average quality), bread plan, salt powdered, chilies powder, tea Lipton Yellow Label, cigarettes, lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, Georgette, gents sandal Bata pair, electricity charges for Q1, gas charges, petrol super, hi-speed diesel, matchbox, and telephone call charges.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021