The Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation increased by 8.53 percent during March 2014 as compared to the same period of last year, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) revealed. The PBS Member National Accounts, Trade and Prices, Arif Mehmood Cheema addressing a press conference on Tuesday, said CPI inflation witnessed an increase of 8.64 percent in July-March 2013-14 over July-March 2012-13, while it rose by 0.96 percent in March 2014 over previous month (February 2014).
According to monthly inflation report released by the PBS in March 2014, the CPI increased by 0.96 percent while Wholesale Price Index (WPI) and Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) moved up by 2.15 percent and 0.34 percent, respectively. Cheema said the PBS collected retail and the wholesale prices and computed the CPI, WPI on monthly basis while SPI on weekly basis.
Analysis of the CPI data released by the PBS showed that prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages soared to 8.84 percent during March 2014, over the same period of last year. Prices of non-perishable food items recorded an increase of 8.39 percent, while perishable food prices gone up by 11.78 percent. The cost of alcoholic beverages and tobacco increased by 16.04 percent during the period under review, clothing and footwear 11.63 percent, housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels 9.21 percent, furnishing and household equipment maintenance 8.98 percent, health 7.22 percent, transport 3.75 percent, communication 0.94 percent, recreation and culture 7.67 percent, education 6.88 percent, restaurant and hotels 13.20 percent while prices of miscellaneous items surged by 5.81 percent.
The food and non-food items that witnessed significant rise in their prices during March 2014 over March 2013 include: potatoes (93.20 percent), chicken (27.25 percent), eggs (26.14 percent), pulse moong (25.78 percent), pulse masoor (22.73 percent), fresh vegetables (21.85 percent), wheat (19.20 percent), wheat products (18.35 percent), wheat flour (17.99 percent), cigarettes (16.20 percent), beans (13.71 percent), readymade food (13.20 percent), postal service (23.66 percent), cosmetics (19.83 percent), electricity (15.82 percent), sewing needle & dry cell (15.80 percent), doctor (MBBS) clinic fee (14.79 percent), cotton cloth (13.40 percent), woollen readymade garments (13.38 percent), tailoring (12.95 percent), text books (12.04 percent) and utensils (11.53 percent).
About the core inflation in CPI, Cheema said the trimmed core inflation was recorded at 8.1 percent during March 2014 over March 2013, while it stood at 8.4 percent during March 2013 over March 2012. Cheema maintained that the non-food and non-energy core inflation was 7.6 percent during March 2014 over the same period of last year, while it stood at 9.0 percent during March 2013 over March 2012.
He said food and non-food items that witnessed significant increase in their prices during July-March 2013-14, as compared to same period of the last year included: potatoes (43.98 percent), tomatoes (42.68 percent), onions (41.49 percent),postal services (24.75 percent), wheat (23.33 percent), wheat flour (22.18%), wheat products (19.61 percent), fresh vegetables (17.33 percent), gur (16.73%), cosmetics (16.49 percent), cigarettes (15.33 percent), tea (15.21 percent), woollen readymade garments (15.12 percent), and text books (15.05 percent).
Prices of food and non-food items which varied from previous month, ie, March 2014 over February 2014 included: tomatoes (53.32 percent), potatoes (39.17 percent), eggs (15.29 percent), fresh fruits (9.28 percent), pulse moong (6.31 percent), chicken (6.11 percent), sugar (4.21 percent), fish (2.79 percent), pulse masoor (2.44 percent), betel leaves & nuts (1.53 percent), pulse mash (1.29 percent), vegetable ghee (1.22 percent), wheat (1.16 percent), condiments (1.06 percent), wheat flour (1.03 percent), doctor (MBBS) clinic fee (2.16 percent), personal equipments (1.51 percent), newspapers (1.43 percent), drugs & medicines (1.30 percent), cosmetics (1.25 percent), cotton cloth (1.22 percent), and dopatta (0.97 percent).