Kitchen items’ prices ease as weekly inflation falls by 1%

ISLAMABAD (APP) - The weekly inflation measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), witnessed a decrease of one per cent for the combined consumption groups during the week ended on May 2, 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 316.95 points as compared to 320.14 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 24.37 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, decreased by 1.09 per cent and went down to 306.26 points from last week’s 309.64 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, decreased by 1.12 percent, 1.02 percent, 1.04 and 0.95 percent respectively.

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 15 (29.42%) items increased, 18 (35.29%) items decreased and 18 (35.29%) items remained stable. The items, which recorded a decrease in their average prices on a week-on-week basis included tomatoes (22.05%), chicken (8.03%), onions (7.71%), wheat flour (6.88%), bananas (5.25%), diesel (2.89%), chilies powder (2.59%), LPG (2.36%), petrol (1.84%), pulse masoor (1.25%) and pulse moong (0.90%).

The commodities which recorded an increase in their average prices on week-on-week basis included potatoes (6.06%), salt powder (0.91%), garlic (0.85%), powder milk (0.70%), mutton (0.65%), eggs (0.53%), cigarettes (0.51%), curd (0.46%) and beef (0.45%). On Year-on-Year basis, the commodities that witnessed decrease included bananas (37.76%), wheat flour (23.15%), cooking oil 5 litre (20.45%), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (17.10%), vegetable ghee 1 kg (16.75%), mustard oil (12.74%), eggs (10.46%), LPG (8.52%), chicken (3.99%) and diesel (2.04%).

The commodities which recorded an increase in their average prices on year-on-year basis included gas charges for Q1 (570.00%), onions (145.15%), tomatoes (79.43%), garlic (72.46%), chilies powder (71.96%), salt powder (33.07%), energy saver (29.83%), shirting (29.71%), gents sandal (25.01%), pulse mash (24.72%), gur (24.49%) and beef (23.96%).