ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Index (SPI)-based inflation for the current week, ended 8 November 2023, increased by 0.73 percent due to increase in the prices of food items including tomatoes (15.43 percent), potatoes (4.47 percent), wheat flour (2.36 percent), garlic (2.16 percent, salt powdered (1.82 percent) and chicken (1.60 percent), says Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 29.86per cent mainly due to an increase in the prices of gas charges for q1 (108.38per cent), cigarettes (94.46per cent), chilies powder (84.11per cent), wheat flour (81.23 per cent), rice basmati broken (77.93per cent), rice irri-6/9 (60.65per cent), garlic (58.23per cent) gents sponge chappal (58.05per cent), sugar (57.57per cent), gents sandal Bata (53.37per cent), salt (53.02per cent) and gur (50.88per cent) while a decrease is observed in the prices of onions (32.27per cent), tomatoes (9.08per cent), mustard oil (3.88per cent), pulse gram (2.80per cent), and vegetable ghee 1kg (1.69per cent).
During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 20 (39.22per cent) items increased, eight (15.69per cent) items decreased and 23 (45.09 per cent) items remained stable.
The SPI for the week under review was recorded at 281.12 points against 279.08 points registered in the previous week, according to the PBS data released on Friday.
The SPI for the consumption group up to Rs17,732, Rs17,732-Rs22,888, Rs22,889 Rs29,517,Rs29,518-Rs44,175 and above Rs44,175 increased by 1.05 per cent, 1.02 per cent, 0.88 per cent, 0.80 per cent, and 0.59 per cent, respectively.
The items, prices of which increased during the period under review, include tomatoes (15.43per cent), potatoes (4.47per cent), wheat flour bag 20kg (2.36per cent), garlic (2.16per cent), salt powdered (1.82per cent), chicken (1.60per cent), tea Lipton Yellow Label 190 gm packet each (0.96per cent), Georgette (0.95per cent), bananas (0.94per cent), eggs (0.85per cent), pulse gram (0.78per cent), mustard oil (0.67per cent), masoor (0.62per cent), shirting (0.58per cent), beef with bone (0.45per cent), sugar (0.40per cent), onions (0.13per cent), powdered milk Nido390 gm polybag each (0.12per cent), firewood whole 40kg (0.11per cent), and LPG (0.03per cent).
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023