ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) based inflation for the week ended March 2, 2023, recorded a decrease of 0.30 percent due to a decline in the prices of food items including onions (13.24 percent), eggs (6.11 percent), garlic (4.24 percent), chicken (two percent), tomatoes (0.59 percent) and non-food items LPG (1.84 percent), and petrol (1.80 percent), says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 41.07 percent mainly due to an increase in the prices of onions (311.17 percent ), cigarettes (165.86 percent), gas charges for q1 (108.38 percent), diesel (93.82 percent), petrol (77.89 percent), eggs (77.83 percent), rice irri-6/9 (76.96 percent), rice basmati broken (75.55 percent), moong (73.30 percent), bananas (72.66 percent), chicken (64.70 percent) and tea Lipton (64.53 percent), while decrease is observed in the prices of tomatoes (56.29 percent), chillies powdered (7.42 percent) and electricity charges for q1 (6.64 percent).
The SPI for the week under review was recorded at 240.57 points against 241.29 points registered in the previous week, according to the latest PBS data released on Friday.
During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 32 items increased (62.75 percent), 09 items decreased (17.65 percent) and 10 items remained stable (19.60 percent).
The SPI for the consumption group up to Rs17,732, Rs17,732-22,888, Rs22,889-29,517, Rs29,518-44,175 and above Rs44,175 consumption group decreased by 0.08 percent, 0.09 percent, 0.12 percent, 0.20 percent and 0.43 percent respectively.
The items, which recorded increase in their average prices during the week over previous include bananas (7.34 percent), long cloth 57” Gul Ahmed/Al Karam (3.44 percent), energy saver (3.33 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1kg pouch each (2.48 percent), gur (2.03 percent), cooked daal (1.87 percent), tea Lipton Yellow Label (1.79 percent), match box (1.66 percent), lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam (1.52 percent), cooking oil Dalda or other similar brand (sn), 5 litre tin each (1.45 percent), sugar (1.07 percent), wheat flour bag 20kg (0.98 percent), milk fresh (0.96 percent), rice irri-6/9 (0.88 percent), cooked beef (0.85 percent), toilet soap (0.83 percent), rice basmati broken (0.80 percent), moong (0.73 percent), shirting (0.53 percent), Sufi washing soap (0.51 percent), masoor (0.50 percent), salt powdered (0.49 percent), cigarettes Capstan (0.43 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5kg tin each (0.42 percent), powdered milk Nido (0.41 percent), curd (0.40 percent), maash (0.30 percent), tea prepared (0.26 percent), firewood whole 40kg (0.16 percent), mustard oil (0.15 percent), mutton (0.15 percent), and Georgette (0.12 percent).
The commodities, which recorded a decrease in their average prices included onions (13.24 percent), eggs (6.11 percent), garlic (4.24 percent), chicken (2 percent), LPG (1.84 percent), petrol super (1.80 percent), tomatoes (0.59 percent), pulse gram (0.38 percent), and potatoes (0.33 percent).
The commodities, prices of which, remained unchanged included bread plain, beef with bone, chilies powder National, gents sandal Bata pair, gents sponge chappal Bata pair, ladies sandal Bata pair, electricity charges, gas charges, hi-speed diesel, and telephone call charges.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023