ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Index (SPI)-based inflation for the current week, ended 23 November 2023, decreased by 0.06 per cent due to decline in the prices of tomatoes (5.78 per cent), vegetable ghee 2.5-kg (1.36 per cent), cooking oil 5-litre (1.31 per cent), banana (0.91 per cent), vegetable ghee 1kg (0.82 per cent), eggs (0.33 per cent), sugar (0.20 per cent), and Lipton tea (0.17 per cent), says Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 41.13 per cent mainly due to an increase in the prices of gas charges for q1 (1108.59 per cent), cigarettes (94.20 per cent), wheat flour (88.18 per cent), chilies powder (81.74 per cent), rice basmati broken (76.57 per cent), garlic (71.03 per cent), rice irri-6/9 (62.28 per cent), gents sponge chappal (58.05 per cent), gents sandal (53.37 per cent), tea Lipton (53.00 per cent), gur (50.80 per cent) and potatoes (47.90 per cent) while a decrease is observed in the prices of onions (36.18 per cent), tomatoes (18.10 per cent), mustard oil (4.06 per cent), and vegetable ghee 1kg (2.85 per cent).

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 18 (35.29 per cent) items increased, 12 (23.53 per cent) items decreased and 21 (41.18 per cent) items remained stable.

The SPI for the week under review was recorded at 308.90 points against 309.09 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 decreased by 0.18 per cent, 0.14 per cent, 0.10 per cent, 0.08 per cent and 0.02 per cent, respectively.

The items prices of which increased during the period review include garlic (4.61 per cent), onions (2.42 per cent), chicken (1.81 per cent), potatoes (1.69 per cent), masoor (1.01 per cent), LPG (0.76 per cent), firewood whole 40kg (0.59 per cent), wheat flour bag 20 kg (0.54 per cent), matchbox each (0.52 per cent), moong (0.52 per cent), bread plain (0.47 per cent), maash (0.40 per cent), pulse gram (0.36 per cent), beef with bone (0.29 per cent), rice irri-6/9 (0.26 per cent), mustard oil (0.14 per cent), long cloth 57” Gul Ahmed/Al Karam(0.09 per cent) and tea prepared (0.02 per cent).

The items, prices of which decreased during the period under review include tomatoes (5.78 per cent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5kg tin each (1.36 per cent), cooking oil Dalda or other similar brand (sn), 5-litre tin each (1.31 per cent), bananas (0.91 per cent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1kg pouch each (0.82 per cent), eggs (0.33 per cent), sugar (0.20 per cent), tea Lipton Yellow Label (0.17 per cent), gur (0.14 per cent), cigarettes Capstan 20’s packet each (0.13 per cent), milk fresh (0.02 per cent), and rice basmati broken (0.01 per cent).

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023