Prices of essential items surge 15.29 per cent year-on-year

KARACHI: The prices of essential items have increased 15.29 per cent on a year-on-year (YoY) basis by the week ended June 24, 2021, data issued by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) revealed on Saturday.

The inflation based on the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) increased 15.29 per cent by the week ended June 24, 2021, compared with June 25, 2020.

The essential items, which witnessed increase in their prices during the period under review included electricity, 61.62 per cent; chilli powder, 57.57 per cent; petrol, 48.21 per cent; diesel, 40.04 per cent; mustard oil, 35.57 per cent; gents sandal, 33.37 per cent; LPG, 32.31 per cent; eggs, 27.90 per cent; gents sponge chappal, 25.13 per cent; vegetable ghee 1kg, 24.81 per cent; and match box, 23.44 per cent.

The items that registered decline in their prices included tomatoes, 26.03 per cent; pulse moong, 24.15 per cent; garlic, 16.79 per cent; potatoes, 15.81 per cent; onions, 1.03 per cent; salt, 0.89 per cent; and pulse masoor, 0.50 per cent.

The SPI for the current week ended June 24, 2021 recorded an increase of 0.82 per cent in the prices of tomatoes; 14.56 per cent; chicken, 11.43 per cent; LPG, 8.64 per cent; onions, 8.38 per cent; potatoes, 3.37 per cent; garlic, 2.52 per cent; vegetable ghee 1kg, 1.53 per cent; cooking oil, 1.41 per cent; and vegetable ghee 2.5kg, 1.24 per cent with the joint impact of 0.76 per cent in the overall SPI for the combined group of 0.82 per cent.

The decrease was witnessed in the prices of pulse moong (3.79 per cent); bananas, 2.54 per cent; pulse gram, 0.71 per cent; gur (jaggery), 0.66 per cent; pulse mash, 0.45 per cent, pulse masoor, 0.26 per cent; and sugar, 0.12 per cent.

During the week, of the 51 items, prices of 21, or 41.2 per cent, items increased, seven, or 13.7 per cent, items decreased and the prices of the remaining 23, or 45.1 per cent, items remained unchanged.

The SPI is computed on a weekly basis to assess the price movements of the essential commodities at a shorter interval of time so as to review the price situation in the country. It comprises 51 essential items and the prices are being collected from 50 markets in 17 cities of the country.

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