TAHIR AMIN

ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended on January 7, 2021, recorded an increase of 0.06 percent over last week due to rise in prices of food items including sugar (7.21 percent), chilies powder (5.54 percent), mustard oil (2.72 percent), gur (1.56 percent), cooking oil 5 litre (1.51 percent), and non-food items LPG (10.02 percent), petrol (2.15 percent), diesel (1.66 percent), said the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

According to the latest data, released by the PBS, the SPI went up from 139.92 points during the week ended December 31, 2020, to 140.01 points during the week under review.

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 22 (43.14 percent) items increased, six (11.76 percent) items decreased, and 23 (46.10 percent) items remained constant.

The PBS data further stated that the year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 5.81 percent with most of the items increased mainly chilies powder (96.62 percent), eggs (47.67 percent), match box (21.48 percent), sugar (21.16 percent), mustard oil (18.29 percent), Sufi washing soap (18.03 percent), vegetable ghee 1kg (15.73 percent), long cloth (15.65 percent), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (15.29 percent), shirting (15.27 percent), rice Irri 6/9 (14.64 percent), bread plain (14.47 percent), curd (13.05 percent), Georgette (12.51 percent), and milk fresh (12.18 percent), while a major decrease was observed in the price of tomatoes (43.06 percent), onions (32.79 percent), LPG (16.86 percent), garlic (16.23 percent), diesel (13.30 percent), pulse gram (12.32 percent), petrol (9.07 percent), potatoes (6.82 percent), electricity for Q1 (3.34 percent), bananas (2.07 percent), and moong (0.94 percent).

The SPI for the consumption groups up to Rs17,733 and from Rs17,733 to Rs22,888 from Rs22,889 to Rs29,517, and above Rs44,175 per month increased by 0.17 percent, 0.05 percent, 0.02 percent and 0.10 percent respectively, however for consumption groups from Rs29,518 to Rs44,175 decreased by 0.01 percent. The commodities, which recorded increase in their average price include LPG (10.02 percent), sugar (7.21 percent), chilies powder (5.54 percent), mustard oil (2.72 percent), petrol super (2.15 percent), hi-speed diesel (1.66 percent), gur (1.56 percent), cooking oil Dalda or other similar brand 5 litre tin (1.51 percent), toilet soap Lifebuoy (1.49 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5 kg tin (1.29 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1kg pouch (1.21 percent), pulse gram (0.95 percent), moong (0.95 percent), firewood whole 40kg (0.82 percent), bananas (0.69 percent), maash (0.67 percent), shirting (0.56 percent), cooked beef (0.23 percent), curd (0.16 percent), garlic (0.15 percent), masoor (0.10 percent), and rice irri-6/9 (0.01 percent).

The commodities, which recorded decrease in their average price, include chicken farm broiler (10.74 percent), tomatoes (7.21 percent), onions (4.65 percent), eggs (3.63 percent), wheat flour (2.61 percent), and potatoes (2.54 percent).

According to the PBS, the commodities which prices remained unchanged during the period under review include rice basmati broken, bread plain, beef with bone, mutton, milk fresh, powdered milk, salt powdered, tea Lipton Yellow Label, cooked daal, tea prepared, cigarettes, long cloth 57" Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, Georgette, gents sandal Bata pair, gents sponge chappal Bata pair, ladies sandal Bata pair, electricity charges, gas charges, energy saver Philips, Sufi washing soap, match box each, and telephone call charges.