ISLAMABAD: The weekly inflation measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), recorded a surge by 1.11 percent for the combined consumption groups during the week completed on March 7, reported by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Friday.
As per the PBS data, the SPI for the under reviewed week in the above-mentioned group was witnessed at 322.86 points against 319.30 points during the earlier week.
While comparing to the corresponding week of the year 2023, the SPI for the combined consumption group in the under reviewed week experienced an increase of 32.39 percent.
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, went up by 1.69 percent and increased to 317.18 points from 311.92 points in last week.
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, went up by 1.45 percent, 1.20 percent, 1.15 and 0.99 percent respectively.
During the week under review, out of 51 items, rates of 14 (27.45%) items went up, 14 (27.45%) items went down whereas 23 (45.10%) items remained constant.
Weekly Inflation in Basic Items
The items, which witnessed a fall in their average rates on a week-on-week basis comprising chicken (6.95%), tea (1.29%), cooking oil 5 litre (0.96%), bread plain (0.51%), gur (0.40%), garlic (0.39%), pulse masoor (0.26%) and vegetable ghee 1 kg 0.23 percent.
The commodities witnessing an increase in their rates comprising onions (33.86%), potatoes (23.81%), tomatoes (16.42%), bananas (7.12%), LPG (4.43%), eggs (2.66%), petrol & firewood (1.49%) each, beef (1.38%), mutton (0.50%), cooked daal (0.41%) and long cloth 0.27 percent.
On Year-on-Year basis, the items that experienced fall in prices comprising vegetable ghee 1 kg (20.15%), cooking oil 5 litre (19.53%), bananas (17.95%), mustard oil (16.20%), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (16.04%), LPG (4.20%), chicken (1.51%) and cigarettes 0.05 percent.
The items which witnessed an increase in their average rates on year-on-year basis comprising gas charges for Q1 (570.00%), tomatoes (176.55%), chilies powder (81.74%), gents sponge chappal (58.05%), wheat flour (57.04%), gents sandal (53.37%), onions (51.56%), garlic (45.69%), gur (44.94%), sugar (41.69%) and potatoes 39.08 percent.
