TAHIR AMIN

ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended September 9, 2021 recorded an increase of 1.37 percent due to increase in food items’ prices. Onions (23.35 percent), tomatoes (20.38 percent), chicken (7.67 percent), wheat flour (4.97 percent), eggs (3.83 percent), masoor (2.04 percent), vegetable ghee (1.32 percent) and beef (1.11 percent) posted increase, says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 13.64 percent with most of the items increased, mainly, electricity for Q1 (46.55 percent), LPG (45.76 percent), vegetable ghee 1kg (40.71 percent), chicken (38.55 percent), vegetable ghee 2.5kg (37.26 percent), mustard oil (36.74 percent), cooking oil 5liter (36.56 percent), chilies powder (35.71 percent), gents sandal (33.37 percent), and eggs(30.81 percent), while a major decrease was observed in the prices of potatoes (26.32 percent), moong (25.24 percent), and tomatoes (6.68 percent).

According to the latest data, the SPI went up from 153.16 percent during the week ended September 2, 2021 to 155.26 percent during the week under review.

The SPI for the consumption groups up to Rs17,733, Rs17,733 to Rs22,888, Rs22,889 to Rs29,517, Rs29,518 to Rs44,175 and for above Rs44,175 increased by 1.60 percent, 1.66 percent, 1.57 percent, 1.52 percent, and 1.20 percent respectively. During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 24 (47.06 percent) items increased, five (9.80 percent) items decreased, and 22 (43.14 percent) items remained constant, said the PBS in the weekly SPI data.

The commodities, which recorded increase in their average prices include onions (23.35 percent), tomatoes (20.38 percent), chicken (7.67 percent), wheat flour bag 20 kg (4.97 percent), eggs (3.83 percent), masoor (2.04 percent), garlic (1.34 percent), potatoes (1.34 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1kg pouch each (1.32 percent), Sufi washing soap (1.29 percent), cooking oil Dalda or other similar brand (sn), 5 litre tin each (1.22 percent), beef with bone (1.11 percent), maash (0.71 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5kg tin each (0.61 percent), tea prepared (0.56 percent), gur (0.46 percent), cooked beef (0.42 percent), mustard oil (0.42 percent), powdered milk Nido390gm polybag each (0.18 percent), mutton (0.14 percent), milk fresh (0.10 percent), pulse gram (0.09 percent), curd (0.05 percent), and rice basmati broken (0.05percent).

According to the PBS, the decrease was observed in the prices of bananas (3.09 percent), LPG (2.59 percent), rice irri-6/9 (0.59 percent), moong (0.44 percent), and sugar (0.28 percent).

The prices of commodities, which remained constant included bread plain, salt powdered, chilies powder, tea Lipton Yellow Label, cooked daal, cigarettes Capstan, long cloth 57”Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, shirting, lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, Georgette, gents sandal Bata pair, gents sponge chappal Bata pair, ladies sandal Bata pair, electricity charges for Q1, gas charges, firewood whole 40kg, energy saver, match box, petrol super, hi-speed diesel, telephone call charges, and toilet soap Lifebuoy.