ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI)-based inflation for the week ended May 11, 2023, increased by 0.27 percent due to an increase in the prices of food items including tomatoes (6.32 percent), gur (3.41 percent), wheat flour (2.76 percent), tea prepared (2.66 percent), potatoes (2.14 percent) and non-food item washing soap (1.04 percent), says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 48.02 per cent, mainly due to increase in the prices of cigarettes (140.15per cent), potatoes (112.80per cent), gas charges for q1 (108.38per cent), tea Lipton (106.09per cent), wheat flour (101.20per cent), gents sponge chappal (100.33per cent), diesel (99.39per cent), bananas (98.22per cent), rice basmati broken (90.76per cent), eggs (89.40per cent), petrol (87.81per cent), rice irri-6/9 (83.47per cent), pulse moong (66.91per cent), bread (62.83per cent) and maash (58.79per cent), while a decrease is observed in the prices of tomatoes (39.70per cent), onions (22.17per cent) and chilies powdered (6.48per cent).
The SPI for the week under review was recorded at 255.53 points against 254.84 points registered in the previous week, according to the latest PBS data released on Friday.
During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 23 (45.09 per cent) items increased, seven (13.73per cent) items decreased and 21 (41.18 per cent) items remained stable.
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 increased by 0.38per cent, 0.38per cent, 0.36per cent, 0.33per cent, and 0.20per cent respectively.
The items, which recorded an increase in their average prices during the week over previous include tomatoes (6.32per cent), toilet soap lifebuoy (5.43per cent), gur (3.41per cent), wheat flour bag 20 kg (2.76per cent), tea prepared (2.66per cent), potatoes (2.14per cent), cooked beef (2.12per cent), cooked daal (1.98per cent), powdered milk Nido390 gm polybag each (1.91per cent), eggs (1.83per cent), rice basmati broken (1.42per cent), masoor (1.19per cent), beef with bone (1.18per cent), Sufi washing soap (1.04per cent), pulse mash (0.90per cent), tea Lipton Yellow Label (0.89per cent), milk fresh (0.74per cent), sugar (0.53per cent), mutton (0.53per cent), curd (0.43per cent), salt powdered (0.36per cent), rice irri-6/9 (0.35per cent), and moong (0.05per cent).
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023