The Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation increased by 8.26 percent during July-2013 as compared to the same period of last year, according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). Addressing a press conference on Thursday, PBS Member National Accounts, Trade, Prices Arif Mehmood Cheema said that CPI inflation witnessed increase of 2.02 percent in July 2013 over previous month.
According to monthly inflation report released by the PBS, the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) witnessed an increase of 1.65 percent in July 2013 over previous month whereas Sensitive Price Index (SPI) increased by 2.27 percent over June 2013. Analysis of the CPI data released by the PBS showed that prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages soared to 8.94 percent during July 2013 over the same period of last year and prices of non-perishable food items recorded an increase of 6.90 percent while perishable food items prices have gone up by 20.92 percent.
The cost of alcoholic beverages and tobacco increased by 14.84 percent during the period under review, clothing and footwear 14.94 percent, housing, water, electricity, gas and fuels 6.50 percent, furnishing & household equipment maintenance 7.60 percent, health 7.75 percent, transport 5.74 percent, communication 4.90 percent, recreation and culture 8.41 percent, education 7.56 percent, restaurant and hotels 8.98 percent while prices of miscellaneous items surged by 5.37 percent.
The food and non-food items that witnessed significant rise in their prices during July-2013 over July 2012 include: tomatoes (241.10 percent), onions (61.82 percent), tea (25.34 percent), wheat flour (23.43 percent), wheat (22.47 percent), fresh vegetables (19.56 percent ), gur (18.19 percent), wheat products (17.95 percent) , cigarettes ( 14.96 percent) , rice (13.19 percent), cereals (11.62 percent), potatoes ( 11.46 percent), postal services (25.98 percent), woolen readymade garments (18.92 percent), footwear (18.78 percent), tailoring (16.03 percent), dupatta (14.99 percent), cotton cloth (14.32 percent), cleaning & laundry (14.10 percent), newspapers (13.68 percent) and text books (12.95 percent).
Arif Mehmood said that trimmed core inflation has been observed as 7.8 percent during July 2013 over July 2012, while it was 10.7 percent during July 2012 over July 2011. He said the non-food and non-energy core inflation has been observed as 8.2 percent during the month of July 2013 over the same period of last year, while it was 11.3 percent during July 2012 over July 2011.
Prices of food and non-food items which varied from previous month ie, July 2013 over June 2013 include: tomatoes (79.83 percent), potatoes (24.87 percent), fresh fruits (13.59 percent), cigarettes (11.88 percent), eggs (8.95 percent) pulse moong (5.84 percent), gur (4.56 percent), onions (4.09 percent), wheat (3.50 percent), fresh vegetables (2.94 percent), beans (2.84 percent), wheat flour (2.42 percent), pulse masoor (1.99 percent), tea (1.78 percent) and readymade food (1.53 percent), postal services (23.25 percent), footwear (6.28 percent), tailoring (3.72 percent) , kerosene oil (2.73 percent), house rent (2.54 percent), construction input items (2.14 percent), cosmetics (2.06 percent), construction wage rates (1.94 percent) and motor vehicle accessories (1.64 percent).