ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended February 10, 2022 recorded a decrease of 0.08 percent due to decline in food items including tomatoes (14.86 percent), chillies powdered (3.30 percent), potatoes (2.92 percent), onions (2.66 percent), eggs (2.05 percent), sugar (1.43 percent), wheat flour (0.15 percent), and masoor (0.13 percent) and non-food item LPG (1.49 percent), says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The year-on-year trend depicts increase of 18.47 percent mainly due to increase in tomatoes (289.04 percent), electricity for Q1 (74.88 percent), LPG (51.76 percent), mustard oil (48.51 percent), garlic (45.60 percent), cooking oil 5 litres (40.54 percent), vegetable ghee 2.5kg (39.05 percent), vegetable ghee 1kg (38.81 percent), washing soap (38.40 percent), masoor (38.00 percent), and petrol (31.59 percent), while major decrease observed in the prices of chillies powder (31.44 percent), moong (27.75 percent), sugar (4.78 percent), chicken (4.51percent), onions (4.16 percent), and potatoes (1.60 percent).
According to the latest data, the SPI went down from 169.37 percent during the week ended February 4, 2022 to 169.23 percent during the week under review.
The SPI for the consumption groups up to Rs17,732, Rs17,733 to Rs22,888, Rs22,889 to Rs29,517, Rs29,518 to Rs44,175 and for above Rs44,175 decreased by 0.24 percent, 0.19 percent, 0.14 percent, 0.10 percent, and 0.04 percent respectively.
During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 16 (31.37 percent) items increased, 14 (27.45 percent) items decreased, and 21 (41.18 percent) items remained stable, said the PBS in weekly SPI data.
The commodities, which recorded increase in their average prices included garlic (7.03 percent), chicken (5.65 percent), bananas (3.57 percent), salt powder (1.81 percent), mustard oil (0.97 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1kg pouch each (0.88 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5kg tin each (0.86 percent), firewood whole 40kg (0.76 percent), Sufi washing soap 250gm cake each (0.69 percent), match box (0.55 percent), mutton (0.43 percent), rice basmati broken (0.43 percent), beef with bone (0.32 percent), toilet soap Lifebuoy (0.30 percent), cooking oil Dalda or other similar brand (sn), 5 litres tin each (0.28 percent), and cooked daal (0.27 percent).
The commodities, which recorded decrease in their prices during the period under review include tomatoes (14.86 percent), chillies powder national 200gm packet each (3.30 percent), potatoes (2.92 percent), onions (2.66 percent), eggs (2.05 percent), LPG (1.49 percent), sugar (1.43 percent), moong (0.99 percent), tea prepared (0.50 percent), pulse gram (0.48 percent), gur (0.39 percent), maash (0.37 percent), wheat flour bag 20kg (0.15 percent), and masoor (0.13 percent).
According to the PBS data, sugar prices declined from Rs90.41 per kg to Rs89.12 per kg; however, a visit to various markets revealed that sugar was being sold at Rs98-100 per kg.
Further, according to the bureau’s data wheat flour bag 20kg decreased from Rs1169.80 per 20kg to Rs1,168 per 20kg, but in actual, the wheat flour was available at Rs80-90 per kg in retail.
The commodities, which prices remained unchanged during the period included rice irri-6/9 (Sindh/Punjab), bread plain, milk fresh, curd, powdered milk, tea Lipton Yellow Label, cooked beef, cigarettes Capstan, long cloth 57” Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, shirting, lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, Georgette, gents sandal Bata pair, gents sponge chappalBata pair, ladies sandal Bata pair, electricity charges for q1 per unit, gas charges, energy saver, petrol super, hi-speed diesel, and telephone call charges.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022