ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI)-based inflation for the week ended August 24, 2023, increased by 0.05 percent due to increase in the prices of food items, onions (23.56 percent), masoor (3.66 percent), sugar (3.43 percent), garlic (2.17 percent and non-food items, energy saver (1.89 percent and long cloth (1.51 percent), says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 25.34per cent mainly due to increase in the prices of wheat flour (129.38 per cent), gas charges for q1 (108.38 per cent), cigarettes (102.31 per cent), tea Lipton (93.94 per cent), rice basmati broken (89.56 per cent), chilies powder (86.05 per cent), sugar (81.21 per cent), rice irri-6/9 (80.54 per cent), gur (63.59 per cent), gents sponge chappal (58.05 per cent), salt powdered (49.09 per cent), chicken (48.58 per cent) and bread (46.37 per cent), while a decrease is observed in the prices of tomatoes (39.96 per cent), onions (37.70 per cent), electricity for q1 (21.96 per cent), masoor (10.68 per cent) and vegetable ghee 1 kg (0.40 per cent).
The SPI for the week under review was recorded at 275.71 points against 275.57 points registered in the previous week, according to the PBS data released on Friday.
During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 22 (43.14 per cent) items increased, 12 (25.53 per cent) items decreased and 17 (33.33 per cent) items remained stable.
The SPI for the consumption group up to Rs17,732, Rs17,732-Rs22,888, Rs22,889-Rs29,517 and Rs29,518-Rs44,175 and for above Rs44,175 consumption group increased by 0.19per cent, 0.12per cent, 0.10per cent, 0.08per cent and 0.01per cent respectively.
The items, which recorded an increase in their average prices during the week over the previous include onions (23.56per cent), masoor (3.66per cent), sugar (3.43per cent), garlic (2.17per cent), eggs (2.13per cent), cooked daal(2.04per cent), energy saver Philips (1.89per cent), pulse mash (1.52per cent), long cloth 57” Gul Ahmed/Al Karam(1.51per cent), cooked beef (1.50per cent), gur (1.10per cent), toilet soap (0.82per cent), shirting (0.61per cent), moong (0.58per cent), curd (0.56per cent), rice basmati broken (0.56per cent), milk fresh (0.42per cent), lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam(0.37per cent), beef with bone (0.33per cent), powdered milk Nido (0.29per cent), mutton (0.26per cent) and tea prepared (0.19per cent).
The items, which recorded a decrease in their average prices during the week over the previous include tomatoes (22.16per cent), chicken (5.44per cent), rice irri-6/9 (1.70per cent), potatoes (1.43per cent), bananas (1.22per cent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5kg tin each (0.97per cent), mustard oil (0.87per cent), cooking oil Dalda or other similar brand (sn), 5 litre tin each (0.67per cent), pulse gram (0.49per cent), LPG (0.43per cent), wheat flour bag 20 kg (0.25per cent) and vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1kg pouch each (0.19per cent).
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023