According to a report released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Friday, the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), which measures weekly inflation, decreased by 0.21 percent for all consumer groups during the week ending February 6.
In the aforementioned group, the SPI for the week under review was 318.38 points, compared to 319.06 points the previous week, according to the PBS statistics.
The SPI for the combined consumption group increased by 1.02 percent in the week under review compared to the same week last year.
With a base year of 2015–16 = 100, the weekly SPI includes 51 important components for all expenditure groups and 17 urban centers.
The SPI for the lowest consumption group of up to Rs 17,732 witnessed decrease of 0.29 per cent and went down to 308.96 points from last week’s 309.85 points.
The SPI for consumption groups of Rs 17,732 to 22,888; Rs 22,889-29,517; Rs 29,518-44,175 and above Rs 44,175, declined by 0.27 percent, 0.24 percent, 0.23 percent and 0.19 percent respectively.
During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 13 (25.49%) items increased, 16 (31.37%) items decreased and 22 (43.14%) items remained stable.
The items, which recorded major decrease in their average prices on a week-on-week basis included tomatoes (11.42%), potatoes (5.99%), onions (4.38%), chicken (3.95%), pulse gram (1.72%), LPG (1.08%), pulse mash (0.82%), rice irri-6/9 (0.54%) and mustard oil (0.47%).
The commodities which recorded major increase in their average prices on a week-on-week basis included bananas (3.25%), diesel (2.67%), sugar (1.78%), garlic (0.44%), powdered salt (0.39%), petrol (0.38%), cigarettes (0.25%), long cloth (0.24%), powdered milk (0.07%), cooking oil 5 litre (0.04%) and rice basmati broken (0.03%).
Year-on-year basis, the commodities that witnessed decrease included onions (54.79%), tomatoes (42.99%), wheat flour (36.76%), chilies powder (20.00%), electricity charges for q1 (18.92%), eggs (12.09%), pulse mash (11.61%), pulse masoor (11.25%), rice basmati broken (8.41%), petrol (5.71%), diesel (3.87%) and LPG (1.70%).
The commodities which recorded an increase in their average prices on year-on-year basis included, ladies sandal (75.09%), pulse moong (31.08%), pulse gram (30.36%), powdered milk (25.80%), potatoes (23.42%), beef (22.35%), vegetable ghee 1 kg (17.15%), garlic (16.30%), gas charges for q1 (15.52%), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (14.84%), shirting (14.11%), and firewood (13.07%).
