Sensitive Price Indicator inflation slightly up 0.41%

ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) inflation witnessed a slight increase of 0.41 per cent during the week ended July 15, compared with the previous week, the data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics showed on Friday.

During the week under review, prices of 23 items (45.1 per cent) witnessed an increase, 7 items (13.7 per cent) witnessed decrease, while the prices of 21 items (41.2 per cent) remained unchanged, it added.

The items that witnessed increase in prices on a W-o-W basis included tomatoes, up 8.18 per cent; onions, up 6.96 per cent; cooking oil, 3.89 per cent; sugar, 3.02 per cent; garlic, 2.74 per cent; vegetable ghee (2.5kg), 2.55 per cent; potatoes, 2.41 per cent; vegetable ghee (1kg), 2.31 per cent; eggs, 1.86 per cent; rice (basmati broken), 1.12 per cent; and the prices of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) witnessed an increase of 6.06 per cent.

Meanwhile, prices of various food items go down considerably during the week under review, compared with the previous week. The prices of bananas witnessed a decline of Rs7.15 per cent, whereas chicken prices witnessed a fall of 3.43 per cent on a week-on-week basis, the data showed.

Likewise, the prices of pulses, including moong, mash, gram and masoor decreased 0.52 per cent, 0.30 per cent, 0.23 per cent and 0.01 per cent, respectively, whereas the electricity charges for the first quarter went down 0.5 per cent.

On a year-on-year basis, the prices of food items that witnessed a decrease included moong pulse, the prices of which declined 19.93 per cent during the week under review, compared with the corresponding week of the last year.

The prices of tomatoes also declined 16.56 per cent, potatoes, 16.22 per cent; chicken, 7.16 per cent; and garlic, 4.61 per cent.

On a Y-o-Y basis, the food items that witnessed increase in their prices included chillies (powder), up 37.29 per cent; mustard oil, 36.38 per cent; vegetable ghee (1kg), 30.48 per cent; cooking oil, 29.41 per cent; vegetable ghee (2.5kg), 28.23 per cent; eggs, 22.18 per cent; and sugar prices went up 21.53 per cent.

The non-food items that witnessed increase included the electricity charges (for the first quarter) that went up 60.81 per cent, LPG, 39.19 per cent; gents’ sandal, 33.37 per cent; gents’ chappal, 25.13 per cent; match box, 24.18 per cent; and the prices of washing soap registered an increase of 21.42 per cent.

The weekly SPI with base year 2015/16=100 is covering 17 urban centres and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups.

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