ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended July 1, 2021 recorded an increase of 0.53 percent over the last week due to increase in the prices of food items including tomatoes (33.27 percent), onions (15.40 percent), garlic (4.05 percent) and non-food items including LPG (3.14 percent), petrol (1.78 percent), and diesel (1.21 percent), says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The year-on-year trend depicts increase of 13.31 percent with most of the items increased mainly electricity for Q1 (61.62 percent), chilies powder (45.88 percent), mustard oil (36.55 percent), gents sandal (33.37 percent), LPG (29.31 percent), eggs (25.92 percent), vegetable ghee 1kg (25.82 percent), gents sponge chappal (25.13 percent), match box (23.44 percent), and vegetable ghee 2.5kg (23.09), while a major decrease was observed in the prices of moong (25.04 percent), tomatoes (17.32 percent), potatoes (15.49 percent), garlic (11.78 percent), and masoor (0.30 percent).

According to the latest data, the SPI went up from 149.14 points during the week ended June 24, 2021 to 149.93 percent during the week under review.

The SPI for the consumption groups up to Rs17,733, from Rs17,733 to Rs22,888, Rs22,889 to Rs29,517 and Rs29,518 to Rs44,175 and for above Rs44,175 per month increased by 0.67 percent, 0.62 percent, 0.56 percent, 0.51 percent, and 0.50 percent, respectively.

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 17 (33.4percent) items increased, nine (17.6 percent) items decreased, and 25 (49.0 percent) items remained constant, said the PBS in weekly SPI data.

The commodities, which recorded increase in their average prices include tomatoes (33.27 percent), onions (15.40 percent), garlic (4.05 percent), LPG (3.14 percent), petrol super (1.78 percent), hi-speed diesel (1.21 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1kg pouch each (0.81 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5kg tin each (0.72 percent), eggs (0.56 percent), mustard oil (0.44 percent), potatoes (0.34 percent), gur (0.14 percent), cooked beef (0.10 percent), mutton (0.09 percent), powdered milk Nido 390gm polybag each (0.06 percent), beef (0.06 percent), and lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam (0.05 percent).

According to the PBS, the decrease was observed in the prices of moong (3.45 percent), chicken (3.01 percent), bananas (2.42 percent), maash (1.30 percent), wheat flour bag 20kg (1.05 percent), masoor (0.79 percent), gram (0.44 percent), firewood whole 40kg (0.43 percent), and sugar (0.04 percent).—TAHIR AMIN