Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The week ending on August 25, 2016, witnessed a decrease of 0.35 percent in the inflation when compared to the previous week. Data released by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) recorded the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the weekly inflation at 218.20 points had increased by 2.17 percent to 218.97 points registered in the previous week.

The weekly SPI was computed with base year( 2007/2008=100), covering 17 urban centres and 53 essential items for all income groups and combined. Meanwhile, the SPI for the lowest income group up to Rs 8000 had also decreased by 0.35 percent from 210.31 points in the previous week to 209.58 points in the week under review. When compared to the last week, the SPI for the income groups from Rs 8001 to Rs 12,000; Rs 12,001 to Rs 18,000; Rs 18,001 to Rs 35,000 and above Rs 35000 was also found to have decreased by 0.32 percent, 0.36 percent, 0.36 percent and 0.34 percent respectively. During the week under review, the average prices of 11 items registered decrease, while 11 items had increased and the remaining 31 items’ prices had remained unchanged.

The items that registered a decrease in their prices during the week under review included tomatoes, chicken (farm), potatoes, onions, moong pulse, bananas, mash pulse, masoor pulse, gram pulse, wheat flour and sugar. Meanwhile, the items that recorded an increase in their average prices included eggs (farm), garlic, vegetable ghee, cooked daal, rice basmati (broken) gur, LPG cylinder, cooked beef, red chilly (Powder), mutton and milk (powdered). Furthermore, the items with no change in their average prices during the week under review included wheat, rice (irri-6), bread (plain) beef, milk (fresh), curd, mustard oil, cooking oil (tin), vegetable ghee (tin), salt (powder), tea (packet), tea (prepared), cigarettes, long cloth, shirting, lawn (printed), georgette, gents sandal, gents chappal, ladies sandal, electricity charges, gas charges, kerosene oil, firewood, electric bulb, washing soap, match box, petrol, hi-speed diesel, telephone local call and bath soap.