ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended August 4, 2022, registered an increase of 0.82% due to an increase in the prices of food items including onions (24.92%), tomatoes (11.93%), pulse moong (5.72%), pulse mash (5.28%), potatoes (5.03%), pulse eggs (2.44%), powdered milk (1.61%) and non-food items including diesel (3.78%), and LPG (1.49%), said the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 38.63% mainly due to an increase in the prices of diesel (109.15%), onions (107.95%), masoor (106.71%), petrol (88.94%), cooking oil 5 litre (74.44%), mustard oil (73.89%), chicken (73.42%), vegetable ghee 1 kg (72.26%), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (70.48%), washing soap (62.62per cent), pulse gram (59.07%), electricity for q1 (52.61%), gents sponge chappal (52.21%), pulse mash (46.01%) and garlic (41.16%), while a decrease observed in the prices of chillies powder (43.42%), sugar (16.27%) and gur (1.86%).
According to the latest data, the SPI went up from 207.47% during the week ended July 28, 2022 to 209.17% 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 increased by 1.16%, 1.07%, 0.98%, 0.91%, and 0.69% respectively. During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 33 (64.71per cent) items increased, four (7.84per cent) items decreased and 14 (27.45per cent) items remained stable, says the PBS.
The items the prices of which increased included onions (24.92%), tomatoes (11.93%), moong (5.72%), pulse mash (5.28%), potatoes (5.03%), masoor (4.43%), hi-speed diesel (3.78%), toilet soap (2.81%), pulse gram (2.69%), eggs (2.44%), powdered milk Nido390 gm polybag each (1.61%), gur (1.53%), LPG (1.49%), salt powdered (1.46%), garlic (1.30%), shirting (1.19%), rice irri-6/9 (1.12%), long cloth 57“ Gul Ahmed/Al Karam(one%), mustard oil (0.84%), lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam(0.82%), milk fresh (0.66%), cigarettes Capstan (0.56%), curd (0.52%), cooking oil Dalda or other similar brand (sn), 5 litre tin each (0.47%), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5kg tin each (0.46%), Georgette (0.45%), mutton (0.36%), rice basmati broken (0.24%), wheat flour bag 20kg (0.21%), sugar (0.20%), cooked daal (0.13%), beef with bone (0.12%), and Sufi washing soap (0.09%).
The items that registered a decrease in prices include chicken (5.08%), bananas (3.40%), petrol super (1.29%) and vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1kg pouch each (0.15%).
The items, prices of which remained unchanged included bread plain (small size), chilies powder National 200 gm packet each, tea Lipton Yellow Label, cooked beef, tea prepared, gents sandal Bata pair, gents sponge chappal Bata pair, ladies sandal Bata pair, electricity charges for q1, gas charges, firewood whole 40 kg, energy saver Philips, matchbox, and telephone call charges.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022