ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended March 10, 2022 recorded an increase of 0.52 percent due to increase in the prices of food items including onions (10.86 percent), chicken (8.75 percent), bananas (4.49 percent), potatoes (2.38 percent), vegetable ghee (1.96 percent) and non-food items, washing soap (1.40 percent) and energy saver (1.32 percent), says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 16.49 percent mainly due to increase in tomatoes (169.79 percent), LPG (74.78 percent), garlic (62.44 percent), mustard oil (56.77 percent), vegetable ghee 1-kg (46.83 percent), cooking oil 5 litre (46 percent), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (43.69 percent), washing soap (38.87 percent), masoor (35.73 percent), petrol (33.42 percent), beef (25.50 percent) and diesel (23.75 percent), while major decrease observed in the prices of chillies powdered (36.30 percent), moong (30.52 percent), eggs (18.59 percent), sugar (10.42 percent), and potatoes (7.32 percent).
According to the latest data, the SPI went up from 170.53 percent during the week ended March 3, 2022 to 171.41 percent during the week under review.
The SPI for the consumption groups up to Rs17,732 and Rs17,733 to Rs22,888, Rs22,889 to Rs29,517 and Rs29,518 to Rs44,175 and for above Rs44,175 increased by 0.48 percent, 0.53 percent, 0.55 percent, 0.57 percent and 0.49 percent respectively.
During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 20 (39.21 percent) items increased, 09 (17.65 percent) items decreased and 22 (43.14percent) items remained stable, said the PBS in weekly SPI data.
The commodities, which recorded increase in their average prices included onions (10.86 percent), chicken (8.75 percent), bananas (4.49 percent), potatoes (2.38 percent), mustard oil (2.33 percent), toilet soap Lifebuoy (1.98 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1-kg pouch each (1.96 percent), Sufi washing soap (1.40 percent), energy saver (1.32 percent), powdered milk Nido (0.91 percent), cooking oil Dalda or other similar brand (sn), 5 litre tin each (0.75 percent), tea Lipton Yellow Label (0.70 percent), georgette (0.64 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5 kg tin each (0.43 percent), beef with bone (0.40 percent), rice basmati broken (0.25 percent), masoor (0.19 percent), pulse gram (0.17 percent), milk fresh (0.08 percent) and mutton (0.03 percent).
The commodities, which recorded decrease in their prices during the period under review, include tomatoes (15.57 percent), garlic (3.94 percent), eggs (1.22 percent), gur (0.98 percent), sugar (0.73 percent), maash (0.64 percent), pulse moong (0.39 percent), LPG (0.24 percent) and wheat flour bag 20 kg (0.22 percent).
The commodities whose prices remained unchanged during the period included rice irri-6/9 (Sindh/Punjab), bread plain (small size), curd, salt powdered, chilies powder, cooked beef, cooked daal, tea prepared, cigarettes Capstan, long cloth 57” Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, shirting, lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, gents sandal Bata pair, gents sponge chappalBata pair, ladies sandal Bata pair, electricity charges, gas charges, firewood whole 40kg, match box, petrol super, hi-speed diesel and telephone call charges.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022