The headline inflation inched up by 2.91 percent in July 2017 over the same month a year before due to a considerable increase in health and education cost, according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). The CPI inflation data released by the PBS at a press conference noted an increase of 0.34 percent in inflation during July 2017 over previous month of June 2017.
The group-wise major commodities which contributed to the increase in inflation by 2.91 percent in July 2017 over July 2016 were increase in food & non-alcoholic beverages cost by 0.71 percent, non-perishable food items by 1.58 percent, clothing & footwear by 3.89 percent, and housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels by 5.29 percent. The cost of furnishing and household equipment maintenance soared by 2.72 percent in July 2017, health 13.35 percent, transport 3.18 percent, communication 1.52 percent, and recreation & culture 0.21 percent, while education cost increased by 11.36 percent, restaurant & hotel 5.32 percent and miscellaneous goods & services 4.82 percent.
However, the cost of perishable food items witnessed a decrease of 3.77 percent in July 2017, while the cost of alcoholic beverages & tobacco declined by 15.93 percent.
The main contributors to month-on-month inflation in July 2017 over previous month of June 2017 were an increase in the cost of onion by 9.99 percent, ginger by 9.18 percent, chicken by 4.33 percent, potato by 4.18 percent, egg by 3.75 percent, cement by 3.16 percent, milk tetra pack by 2.07 percent, iron bar by 1.90 percent, cement blocks by 91.85 percent, house rent by 1.49 percent, gram whole yellow by 1.32 percent and unskilled labor wage by 1.13 percent.
However, the cost of banana decreased by 14.15 percent in July 2017 over June 2017, Capstan cigarettes by 8.26 percent, Morven Gold by 7.96 percent, garlic by 4.19 percent, pulse gram by 2.82 percent, apple by 2.79 percent, petrol by 2.06 percent, sugar refined by 1.97 percent, gram whole black by 1.90 percent, diesel by 1.84 percent, gas cylinder by 1.50 percent, wheat flour bag by 1.09 percent and pulse mash by 1.06 percent.
The commodities whose prices increased in July 2017 over the same month of last fiscal year were Lipton Yellow Label by 26.47 percent, toilet soap by 20.61 percent, apple by 19.51 percent, ginger by 17.33 percent, iron bar by 16.53 percent, rice basmati by 14.53 percent, potato by 12.24 percent, Tapal Danedar tea by 10.58 percent, petrol by 10.29 percent, diesel by 9.54 percent and unskilled labour wage by 8.71 percent.
While the price of tomato decreased by 45.10 percent in July 2017 over the same month a year before, Capstan by 25.74 percent, pulse mash by 24.96 percent, Morven Gold by 22.07 percent, pulse Moong by 18.01 percent, garlic by 16.71 percent, pulse Masoor by16.43 percent, pulse gram by 16.15 percent, sugar by 15.80 percent, besan by 12.04 percent, gram whole black by 10.18 percent, onion by 7.03 percent and wheat flour bag by 2.21 percent.