Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The weekly inflation measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), witnessed an increase of 1.27 per cent for the combined consumption groups during the week ended on February 29, 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 319.30 points as compared to 315.31 points during the past week.

As compared to the corresponding week of last year, the SPI for the combined consumption group in the week under review witnessed an increase of 32.73 per cent.

The weekly SPI with the base year 2015-16 =100 covers 17 urban centres and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups.

The SPI for the lowest consumption group up to Rs. 17,732, increased by 1.36 percent and went up to 311.92 points from last week’s 307.73 points.

The SPI for consumption groups from Rs. 17,732-22,888, Rs. 22,889-29,517; Rs. 29,518-44,175 and above Rs. 44,175, increased by 1.75 percent, 1.86 percent, 1.27 and 0.66 percent respectively.

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 14 (27.45%) items increased, 12 (23.53%) items decreased and 25 (49.02%) items remained stable.

The items, which recorded a decrease in their average prices on a week-on-week basis included tomatoes (11.48%), pulse mash (0.97%), lpg (0.85%), cooking oil 5 litre (0.44%), bread plain (0.35%), gur (0.33%), vegetable ghee 1 kg (0.22%), pulse masoor (0.21%) and mustard oil (0.20%).

The items that recorded an increase in their prices included gas charges for q1 (15.52%), bananas (5.25%), onions (2.87%), eggs (1.32%), tea prepared (0.84%), potatoes (0.68%), garlic (0.62%), beef (0.32%), pulse moong (0.27%) and georgette (0.07%).

The commodities that witnessed decrease in the prices on Year on Year basis included vegetable ghee 1 kg (19.43%), bananas (19..33%), mustard oil (16.28%), cooking oil 5 litre (15.28%), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (12.50%), lpg (8.51%), chicken (1.28%) and cigarettes (0.05%).

The commodities which recorded an increase in their average prices on year-on-year basis included average prices on a week-on-week basis included gas charges for q1 (570.00%), tomatoes (167.08%), chilies powder (81.74%), wheat flour (63.51%), gents sponge chappal (58.05%), gents sandal (53.37%), sugar (49.52%), gur (45.52%), garlic (43.22%), salt powdered (39.30%) and tea packet (31.10%).