The Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation increased by 3.88 percent during January 2015 over January 2014, which is the lowest percentage of inflation recorded after the revision of base year in 2007-2008, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) revealed. PBS Member National Accounts, Trade and Prices, Arif Mehmood Cheema, addressing a press conference on Monday said CPI inflation witnessed an increase of 5.77 percent in July-January 2014-15 over July-January 2013-14, while it increased by 0.08 percent in January 2015 over December 2014.
According to monthly inflation report released by the PBS in January 2015, the CPI increased by 0.08 percent while Wholesale Price Index (WPI) and Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) decreased by 1.03 percent and 0.87 percent, respectively. Cheema said the PBS collected the retail and the wholesale prices and computed 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 by 3.90 percent during July-January 2014-15, over July -January 2013-14 and prices of non-perishable food items recorded an increase of 3.83 percent while prices of perishable food items increased by 4.33 percent.
The cost of alcoholic beverages and tobacco increased by 21.76 percent during the period under review, clothing and footwear 8.88 percent, housing, water, electricity, Gas Fuels 7.08 percent, furnishing and household equipment maintenance 7.77 percent, health 6.27 percent, transport 0.14 percent, communication 0.19 percent, recreation and culture 4.11 percent, education 14.96 percent, restaurant and hotels 8.68 percent while prices of miscellaneous items surged by 5.95 percent.
About the core inflation pertaining to CPI, Cheema said trimmed core inflation was 4.8 percent during January 2015 over January 2014, while it was 8.2 percent during January 2014 over January 2013. He maintained that the non-food and non-energy core inflation was recorded at 6.4 percent during January 2015 over the same period last year, while it stood at 8.0 percent in January 2014 over January 2013.
The food and non-food items that showed prominent increase in prices during July-January 2014-15 over July-January 2013-14 include: potatoes (48.95 percent), motor vehicle tax (36.71 percent), pulse moong (22.34 percent), cigarettes (21.97 percent), pulse mash (18.17 percent) and education (14.96 percent).
Top few commodities which showed increase in their prices during January 2015 over January 2014 include: pulse moong (21.82 percent), cigarettes (20.39 percent), pulse mash(18.21 percent), fresh fruits (13.02 percent), pulse masoor (11.54 percent), condiments (11.53 percent), pulse gram (11.20 percent), milk powder (10.59 percent), eggs (10.41 percent), honey (10.16 percent), motor vehicle tax (36.71 percent), education (14.20 percent), cotton cloths (12.93 percent), tailoring (10.98 percent), marriage hall charges (10.90 percent) and woollen readymade garments (10.75 percent).
The food and non-food items that witnessed increase in their prices during January 2015 over December 2014 include: tomatoes (7.30 percent), chicken (5.00 percent), pulse gram (3.96 percent), eggs (3.92 percent), besan (2.47 percent), pulse moong (1.81 percent), firewood whole (2.99 percent), house rent (1.99 percent) and medical tests (1.80 percent).