ISLAMABAD: The weekly inflation in Pakistan, measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), recorded an increase of 0.30 percent for the combined consumption groups during the week concluded on August 8, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported on Friday.
According to the PBS data, the SPI for the week under review in the above-mentioned group was recorded at 322.54 points as compared to 321.56 points during the last week.
While comparing to the corresponding week of last year, the SPI for the combined consumption group in the week under review witnessed an increase of 17.96 percent.
The weekly SPI with the base year 2015-16 =100 covers 17 urban centres and 51 basic items for all expenditure groups.
The SPI for the lowest consumption group of up to Rs 17,732, raised by 0.46 per cent and dropped to 310.83 points from last week’s 309.40 points.
The SPI for the lowest consumption groups of Rs 17,732-22,888, Rs 22,889-29,517; Rs 29,518-44,175 and above Rs 44,175 increased by 0.40 percent, 0.34 percent, 0.32 and 0.27 percent respectively.
During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 23 (45.10%) items increased, 7 (13.72%) items went down and 21 (41.18%) items remained stable.
The items, which recorded major decline in their average prices on a week-on-week basis included tomatoes (19.12%), wheat flour (1.39%), bananas (1.55%), chilies powder (1.31%), sugar (0.44%), pulse masoor (0.68%) and bread (0.02%).
The commodities which registered major increase in their average prices on week-on-week basis included onions (32.23%), garlic (3.23%), eggs (4.28%), LPG (1.73%), pulse mash (0.97%), pulse gram (0.95%), georgette (1.32%), potatoes (0.70%), pulse moong (0.83%), firewood (0.56%), chicken (0.52%) and cigarettes (0.09%).
On-year basis, the commodities that recorded decline included wheat flour (33.37%), electricity charges for q1 (16.91%), tomatoes (18.09%), cooking oil 5 litre (12.61%), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (9.79%), chilies powder (11.55%), vegetable ghee 1 kg (7.44%), rice basmati broken (5.71%), mustard oil (5.91%), petrol (1.20%), diesel (0.16%) and washing soap (0.12%).
The commodities which recorded an increase in their average prices on year-on-year basis included gas charges for q1 (570.00%), pulse gram (42.23%), pulse moong (29.62%), onions (142.48%), garlic (28.93%), powered milk (27.68%), shirting (24.96%), beef (23.11%), gents sandal (25.01%), salt powder (21.05%), pulse mash (18.68%), cooked daal (17.78%), energy saver (17.21%) and long cloth (16.64%).
