The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) has released weekly inflation report stating the SPI-based inflation for the ongoing week witnessed decrease of 0.67 per cent. The SPI for the week under review was recorded at 168.16 points against 169.29 points registered in the previous week, according to the PBS.
The food commodities that contributed in decline in weekly inflation included tomatoes, the prices of which decreased by 15.42 percent on a week-on-week (WoW) basis. The other commodities that witnessed declined in prices included onions (7.43%), chicken (6.62%), sugar (1.87%), wheat flour (0.95%), LPG (0.73%), and gur (0.15%).
On a year-on-year basis, the commodities that witnessed decrease in prices included onions (37.91%), pulse Moong (28.20%), potatoes (25.82%), tomatoes (11.72%) and sugar (0.57%). The commodities that witnessed increase on a WoW basis, included washing soap (2.77%), bananas (2.11%), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (2.01%), cooking oil 5 litre (1.32%), fire wood (1.09%) and pulse Masoor (1.03%).
The items that witnessed increase in prices on YoY basis included, electricity for Q1 (75.32%), LPG (74.85%), cooking oil 5 litre (58.34), vegetable ghee 1 Kg (57.87%), mustard oil (56.31%), vegetable ghee 2.5 Kg (56.01%), petrol (44.35%), washing soap (41.52%), diesel (40.21%) and chilies powdered (34.18%).
As compared to the corresponding week of last year, the SPI for the combined consumption group witnessed an increase of 18.64 percent. The weekly SPI with base year 2015-16=100 is covering 17 urban centers and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups.
The Sensitive Price Indicator for the lowest consumption group up to Rs17,732 witnessed 0.81 percent decrease and went down to 177.60 this week from 179.05 points in last week. The SPI for the consumption groups from Rs17,732-22,888; Rs22,889-29,517; Rs29,518-44,175 and above Rs 44,175 also decreased by 0.82 percent, 0.76 percent, 0.73 percent and 0.59 percent respectively. During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 20 (45.10%) items increased 08 (15.69%) items decreased and 23 (45.10%) items remained stable.