ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended March 31, 2022 recorded an increase of 0.53 percent mainly due to increase in the prices of food items including tomatoes (41.01 percent), onions (22.74 percent), bananas (4.75 percent), cooking oil 5 litre (2.07 percent), rice irri-6/9 (1.72 percent), and masoor (1.11 percent), says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 16.79 percent mainly due to increase in prices of tomatoes (127.45 percent), LPG (71.45 percent), garlic (67.75percent),mustard oil (58.39percent), vegetable ghee 2.5kg (56.47 percent), vegetable ghee 1kg (55.28 percent), cooking oil 5 litre (54.81 percent), onions (42.84 percent), washing soap (39.10 percent), masoor (37.84 percent), petrol (35.25 percent), and diesel(27.00 percent), while major decrease observed in the prices of moong (28.24 percent), eggs (23.79 percent), sugar (14.09 percent), potatoes (3.86 percent), and electricity charges for Q1 (0.16percent).

According to the latest data, the SPI went up from 170.92 percent during the week ended March 24, 2022 to 171.82 percent during the week under review.

The SPI for the consumption groups up to Rs 17,732 and Rs 17,733 to Rs 22,888, Rs 22,889 to Rs 29,517 and Rs 29,518 to Rs 44,175 and for above Rs 44,175 increased by 0.91 percent, 0.83 percent, 0.69 percent, 0.59 percent, and 0.38 percent respectively.

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 24 (47.06percent) items increased, seven (13.73 percent) items decreased and 20 (39.21 percent) items remained stable, said the PBS in weekly SPI data.

The commodities, which recorded increase in their average prices included tomatoes (41.01 percent), onions (22.74 percent), bananas (4.75 percent), cooking oil Daldaor other similar brand (sn), 5 litre tin each (2.07 percent), rice irri-6/9 (1.72 percent), masoor (1.11 percent), potatoes (0.95 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5kg tin each (0.89 percent), wheat flour bag 20kg (0.74 percent), lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam (0.73 percent), cooked daal (0.54 percent), toilet soap Lifebuoy (0.43 percent), long cloth 57” Gul Ahmed/Al Karam (0.41 percent), mutton (0.36 percent), maash (0.30 percent), pulse gram (0.27 percent), moong (0.25 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1kg pouch each (0.21 percent), cooked beef (0.13 percent), beef with bone (0.12 percent), mustard oil (0.10 percent), tea prepared (0.09 percent), curd (0.07 percent), and milk fresh (0.04).

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022