ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Index (SPI)-based inflation for the week ended July 18, 2024, increased by 0.76 per cent due to increase in the prices of chicken (10.26 per cent), powdered milk (4.56 per cent), petrol (3.77 per cent), eggs (2.76 per cent), potatoes (2.30 per cent), diesel (2.25 per cent) and garlic (2.20 per cent), says Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 24.36 per cent mainly due to increase in the prices of gas charges for q1 (570 per cent), onions (105.46 per cent), tomatoes (57.70 per cent), powered milk (39.15 per cent), pulse gram (38.55 per cent), garlic (36.05 per cent), chilies powder (28.98 per cent), moong (28.48 per cent), gents sandal (25.01 per cent), shirting (24.97 per cent), salt powder (24.61 per cent), LPG (23.11 per cent), maash (22.73 per cent), beef (22.38 per cent), and electricity charges for q1 (21.46 per cent), while a decrease is observed in the prices of wheat flour (31.62 per cent), cooking oil 5 litre (14.37 per cent), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (11.25 per cent), vegetable ghee 1 kg (10.63 per cent), mustard oil (8.63 per cent), eggs (2.99 per cent), rice basmati broken (2.93 per cent) and tea Lipton (2.52 per cent).

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 29 (56.87 per cent) items increased, five (9.80 per cent) items decreased and 17 (33.33 per cent) items remained stable.

The SPI for the week under review was recorded at 321.40 points against 318.96 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 0.49 per cent, 0.58 per cent, 0.62 per cent,0.72 per

cent and 0.87 per cent respectively.

The items, prices of which, increased during the period under review include chicken (10.26 per cent), powdered milk Nido390 gm polybag each (4.56 per cent), petrol super (3.77 per cent), eggs (2.76 per cent), potatoes (2.30 per cent), hi-speed diesel (2.25 per cent), garlic (2.20 per cent), shirting (0.94 per cent), sugar (0.89 per cent), pulse gram (0.84 per cent), tea prepared (0.80 per cent), rice irri-6/9 (0.56 per cent), lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam(0.53 per cent), moong (0.53 per cent), gur (0.41 per cent), rice basmati broken (0.31 per cent), milk fresh (0.30 per cent), maash (0.26 per cent), curd (0.26 per cent), wheat flour bag 20 kg (0.22 per cent), firewood whole 40 kg (0.19 per cent), cooking oil Dalda or other similar brand (sn), 5 litre tin each (0.18 per cent), mutton (0.15 per cent), cooked daal (0.14 per cent), cooked beef (0.12 per cent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1 kg pouch each (0.12 per cent), beef with bone (0.08 per cent), salt powdered (0.06 per cent), mustard oil (0.05 per cent).

Items prices of which decreased during the period under review include tomatoes (4.45 per cent), bananas (2.25 per cent), onions (0.99 per cent), masoor (0.19 per cent) and LPG (0.12 per cent).

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024