ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended July 14, recorded an increase of 0.01 percent due to an increase in the prices of food items including potatoes (4.72 percent), chicken (4.45 percent), cooked daal (1.43 percent), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (1.12 percent), said the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 33.12 percent mainly due to an increase in diesel (141.46 percent), petrol (119.61 percent), onions (89.33 percent), masoor (88.60 percent), vegetable ghee 1 kg (78.92 percent), mustard oil (75.72 percent), cooking oil 5 litre (73.01 percent), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (72.44 percent), washing soap (59.93 percent), chicken (52.61 percent), gents sponge chappal (52.21 percent), pulse gram (51.14 percent), garlic (40.54 percent), LPG (39.95 percent) and maash (31.01 percent) while major decrease observed in the prices of chillies powdered (43.42 percent), sugar (15.13 percent), gur (2.41 percent) and pulse moong (2.09 percent).

According to the latest data, the SPI went up from 200.53 percent during the week ended July 6, 2022 to 200.55 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 decreased by 0.05 percent and 0.03 percent respectively, for consumption group of Rs 22,889 to Rs 29,517 it remained unchanged, however, for the group Rs 29,518 to Rs 44,175 and for above Rs 44,175 increased by 0.02 percent and 0.01 percent respectively.

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 29 (56.86 percent) items increased, five (9.81 percent) items decreased, and 17 (33.33 percent) items remained stable, says the PBS.

The items the prices of which increased included potatoes (4.72 percent), chicken (4.45 percent), Sufi washing soap (1.59 percent), match box (1.55 percent), cooked daal (1.43 percent), rice irri-6/9 (1.17 percent), rice basmati broken (1.14 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5 kg tin each (1.12 percent), gur (1.08 percent), curd (1.07 percent), salt powdered (0.92 percent), garlic (0.81 percent), milk fresh (0.76 percent), cooked beef (0.67 percent), tea Lipton Yellow Label (0.65 percent), moong (0.65 percent), cigarettes Capstan (0.57 percent), eggs (0.56 percent), wheat flour bag 20 kg (0.54 percent), tea prepared (0.45 percent), onions (0.26 percent), beef with bone (0.26 percent), cooking oil Dalda or other similar brand 5 litre tin each (0.25 percent), mutton (0.24 percent), masoor (0.22 percent), energy saver (0.17 percent), shirting (0.08 percent), maash (0.05 percent), and long cloth 57” Gul Ahmed/Al Karam (0.04 percent).

The items which registered a decrease in prices included tomatoes (24.55 percent), bananas (2.82 percent), pulse gram (0.67 percent), LPG (0.46 percent), and mustard oil (0.05 percent).

The items, prices of which remained unchanged included bread plain, powdered milk Nido, vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality one kg pouch each, sugar, chillies powder National, lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, Georgette, gents sandal Bata pair, gents sponge chappal Bata pair, ladies sandal Bata pair, electricity charges, gas charges, firewood whole 40 kg, petrol super, hi-speed diesel, telephone call charges, and toilet soap Lifebuoy.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022