ISLAMABAD: The Consumer Price Index (CPI) has recorded an increase of 8.7 percent on year-on-year basis in February 2021 as compared to an increase of 5.7 percent in the previous month, and 12.4 percent in February 2020, says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

According to a monthly review on price indices released by the PBS on month-on-month basis, the CPI increased by 1.8 percent in February 2021 as compared to a decrease of 0.2 percent in the previous month, and a decrease of one percent in February 2020.

The National Consumer Price Index for February 2021 is increased by 1.80 percent over January 2021 and increased by 8.70 percent over corresponding month of the last year i.e. February 2020.

The CPI inflation urban, increased by 8.6 percent on year-on-year (YoY) basis in February 2021 as compared to an increase of five percent in the previous month, and 11.2 percent in February 2020. On month-on-month (MoM) basis, it decreased by 2.3 percent in February 2021 as compared to a decrease of 0.2 percent in the previous month, and a decrease of 1.1 percent in February 2020.

The CPI inflation rural, increased by 8.8 percent on YoY basis in February 2021 as compared to an increase of 6.6 percent in the previous month, and 14.2 percent in February 2020. On MoM basis, it increased by 1.1 percent in February 2021 as compared to a decrease of 0.3 percent in the previous month, and a decrease of one percent in February 2020.

The Sensitive Price Index inflation on YoY increased by 11.9 percent in February 2021 as compared to an increase of 7.7 percent a month earlier, and an increase of 14.5 percent in February 2020. On MoM basis, it increased by 3.1 percent in February 2021 as compared to a decrease of 0.8 percent a month earlier, and a decrease of 0.8 percent in February 2020.

The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation on YoY basis increased by 9.5 percent in February 2021 as compared to an increase of 6.4 percent a month earlier, and an increase of 12.7 percent in February 2020. The WPI inflation on MoM basis increased by 2.2 percent in February 2021 as compared to an increase of 2.5 percent a month earlier, and a decrease of 0.7 percent in corresponding month i.e. February 2020.

Measured by non-food non-energy urban increased by 6.4 percent on YoY basis in February, 2021 as compared to an increase of 5.4 percent in the previous month and eight percent in February 2020. On MoM basis, it increased by 1.1 percent in February, 2021 as compared to increase of 0.9 percent in previous month, and an increase of 0.2 percent in corresponding month of last year i.e. February 2020.

Measured by non-food non-energy rural increased by 7.7 percent on YoY basis in February 2021 as compared to an increase of 7.8 percent in the previous month, and 9.4 percent in February 2020. On MoM basis, it increased by 0.5 percent in February 2021 as compared to an increase of 1.1 percent in the previous month, and an increase of 0.5 percent in corresponding month of last year i.e. February 2020.

Measured by 20 percent weighted trimmed mean urban increased by 7.9 percent on YoY basis in February 2021 as compared to 5.7 percent in the previous month, and 9.7 percent in February 2020. On MoM basis, it increased by one percent in February 2021 as compared to an increase of one percent in the previous month, and an increase of 0.1 percent in the corresponding month of last year i.e. February 2020.

Measured by 20 percent weighted trimmed mean rural increased by 9.2 percent on YoY basis in February 2021 as compared to 8.1 percent in the previous month and by 12.8 percent in February, 2020. On MoM basis, it increased by 0.5 percent in February 2021 as compared to an increase of 1.2 percent in the previous month, and an increase of 0.6 percent in corresponding month of last year i.e. February 2020.

The MoM basis main contributors, which varied from previous month and contributed in urban CPI among food are chicken (37.01 percent), cooking oil (11.92 percent), fruits (9.26 percent), vegetable ghee (9.03 percent), condiments and spices (5.50 percent), gram (4.48 percent), mustard oil (3.80 percent), masoor (3.28 percent), maash (2.62 percent), and rice (1.20 percent) and decreased among tomatoes (58.7 percent), potatoes (12.92 percent), eggs (10.38 percent), onions (7.88 percent) and vegetables (7.35 percent).

Among non-food which increased are electricity charges (29.45 percent), footwear (14.66 percent), ready-made garments (2.93 percent), cotton cloth (2.52 percent), hosiery (1.97 percent), and motor fuel (1.64 percent), and decreased in liquefied hydrocarbons (3.94 percent).

On YoY, top few commodities which varied from previous year and contributed urban CPI among food are eggs (48.10 percent), chicken (36.33 percent), condiments and spices (31.13 percent), wheat (23.79 percent), mustard oil (22.71 percent), beans (17.34 percent), vegetable ghee (17.27 percent), sugar (17.16 percent), cooking oil (15.39 percent), milk (14.65 percent) and wheat flour bag (13.51 percent), and decreased in onions (29.72 percent), tomatoes (29.49 percent), vegetables (22.58 percent), and fish (7.37 percent), and non-food, which increased include electricity charges (43.06 percent), footwear (22.99 percent), personal effects (16.46 percent), cotton cloth (14.70 percent), cleaning and laundering (13.13 percent), and woolen ready-made garments (11.21 percent), and decreased in motor fuel (5.25 percent) and liquefied hydrocarbons (2.3 percent).

On MoM basis, top commodities, which varied from previous month and contributed in rural CPI among food items are chicken (31.54 percent), fruits (9.92 percent), vegetable ghee (7.05 percent), cooking oil (5.58 percent), mustard oil (3.76 percent), gram (2.46 percent), masoor (1.57 percent), moong (1.18 percent), rice (1.18 percent), and maash (1.01 percent), and decreased in tomatoes (56.33 percent), eggs (18.41 percent), potatoes (17.48 percent), onions (8.30 percent), vegetables (six percent), and wheat flour (1.10 percent).

Among non-food which increased are electricity charges (29.45 percent), motor fuels (1.60 percent), motor vehicles (1.44 percent), and drugs and medicines (1.11 percent), and decreased in liquefied hydrocarbons (3.01percent) and construction input items (1.57 percent).

On YoY few commodities, which varied from previous year i.e. February 2020 among food which increased are eggs (35.81 percent), chicken (27.28 percent), condiments and spices (24.18 percent), wheat (23.14 percent), mustard oil (20.16 percent), cooking oil (18.95 percent), vegetable ghee (18.17 percent), wheat flour (16.58 percent) and sugar (15.13 percent) and decreased in tomatoes (34.33 percent), onions (30.24 percent), vegetables (26.45 percent) and potatoes (10.14 percent).

Among non-food which increased are electricity charges (43.06 percent), hosiery (20.19 percent), personal effects (17.29 percent), plastic products (13.19 percent), cleaning and laundering (11.87 percent) and cotton cloth (11.67 percent), and which decreased are liquefied hydrocarbons (6.91percent) and motor fuels (5.43percent).

MoM commodities which varied from previous month and contributed to WPI are poultry (39.64 percent), fruits (16.03 percent), furnace oil (10.82 percent), vegetable oils refined (8.33 percent), cereal flour (7.55 percent), electrical energy (7.32 percent), kerosene oil (6.71 percent), spices (6.52 percent), woven fabrics (5.45 percent), diesel (4.91 percent), pulses (4.32 percent), fertilizers (4.13 percent), sugar (1.89 percent) and motor spirit (1.73 percent) and decreased in potatoes (12.63 percent), vegetables (9.2 percent), eggs (6.72 percent), maize (3.99 percent), stimulant and spice crops (2.05 percent), and steel bar and sheets (1.98 percent).

YoY top few commodities which varied from previous year i.e. February, 2020 are given below: increased: spices (133.49 percent), eggs (57.53 percent), poultry (36.9 percent), timber (36.5 percent), unmanufactured tobacco (34.75 percent), bajra (34.62 percent), jowar (33.5 percent), cotton fabrics (31.79 percent), wheat (30.7 percent), pesticides (27.64 percent), vegetable oils refined (24.84 percent), footwear’s (22.26 percent), vegetable ghee (21.86 percent), wheat flour (19.25 percent), sugar (17.34 percent), maize (17.10 percent), rice (16.94 percent), meat (16.64 percent) and electric wires (15.05 percent) and decreased: vegetables (31.54 percent), kerosene oil (19.37 percent), potatoes (19.19 percent), stimulant and spice crops (10.05 percent), diesel oil (7.53 percent), and motor spirit (6.57 percent).—TAHIR AMIN