ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Index (SPI)-based inflation for the week ended August 8, 2024, increased by 0.30 percent mainly due to an increase in the prices of onions (32.23 per cent), eggs (4.28 per cent), garlic (3.23 per cent), LPG (1.73 per cent), maash (0.97 per cent), pulse gram (0.95 per cent) and chicken (0.52 per cent), according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 17.96 per cent mainly due to increase in the prices of gas charges for q1 (570 per cent), onions (142.48 per cent), pulse gram (42.23 per cent), moong (29.62 per cent), garlic (28.93 per cent), powered milk (27.68 per cent), gents sandal (25.01 per cent), shirting (24.96 per cent), beef (23.11 per cent), salt powder (21.05 per cent), maash (18.68 per cent), cooked daal (17.78 per cent), energy saver (17.21 per cent) and long cloth (16.64 per cent), while a major decrease is observed in the prices of wheat flour (33.37 per cent), tomatoes (18.09 per cent), electricity charges for q1 (16.91 per cent), cooking oil 5-litre (12.61 per cent), chilies powder (11.55 per cent), vegetable ghee 2.5kg (9.79 per cent), vegetable ghee 1kg (7.44 per cent), mustard oil (5.91 per cent), rice basmati broken (5.71 per cent), petrol (1.20 per cent), diesel (0.16 per cent) and washing soap (0.12 per cent).

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 23 (45.10 per cent) items increased, seven (13.72 per cent) items decreased and 21 (41.18 per cent) items remained stable.

The SPI for the week under review was recorded at 322.54 points against 321.56 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 0.46per cent, 0.40 per cent, 0.34 per cent, 0.32 per cent and 0.27per cent respectively.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024