ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended October 14, 2021 recorded an increase of 0.20 percent due to increase in the prices of food items including tomatoes (19.21 percent), mustard oil (3.12 percent), tea prepared (2.12 percent), cooked daal (1.55 percent), tea Lipton (1.48 percent), and cooked beef (1.32 percent), and non-food items including LPG (2.07 percent) and washing soap (1.98 percent), says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The year-on-year trend depicts increase of 12.66 percent with most of the items prices increased including LPG (64.60 percent), electricity for Q1 (61.11 percent), mustard oil (43.82 percent), vegetable ghee 1kg (41.55 percent), vegetable ghee 2.5kg (39.94 percent), cooking oil 5-liter (38.70 percent), chilies powdered (33.43 percent), gents sandal (33.37 percent), chicken (30.08 percent), washing soap (26.61 percent), garlic (22.78 percent), petrol (22.22 percent), and diesel (17.13 percent), while major decrease was observed in the prices of tomatoes (50.11 percent), moong (32.01 percent), onions (31.17 percent), potatoes (22.30 percent), and maash (1.73 percent).

According to the latest data, the SPI went up from 158.94 percent during the week ended October 7, 2021 to 159.26 percent during the week under review.

The SPI for the consumption groups up to Rs 17,733, Rs 17,733 to Rs 22,888, Rs 22,889 to Rs 29,517, Rs 29,518 to Rs 44,175 and for above Rs 44,175 increased by 0.15 percent, 0.16 percent, 0.17 percent, 0.16 percent, and 0.24 percent, respectively.

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 22 (43.13 percent) items increased, 10 (19.60 percent) items decreased, and 19 (37.25 percent) items remained stable, said the PBS in the weekly SPI data.

The commodities, which recorded increase in their average prices include tomatoes (19.21 percent), mustard oil (3.12 percent), tea prepared (2.12 percent),LPG (2.07 percent), Sufi washing soap (1.98 percent), cooked daal (1.55 percent), tea Lipton Yellow Label (1.48 percent), cooked beef (1.32 percent), potatoes (0.92 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1kg pouch each (0.86 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5kg tin each (0.78 percent), cooking oil Dalda or other similar brand, 5-litre tin each (0.75 percent), Georgette (0.62 percent), firewood whole 40kg (0.51 percent), mutton (0.40 percent), garlic (0.28 percent),rice irri-6/9 (0.24 percent),shirting (0.17 percent), beef with bone (0.17 percent), long cloth 57” Gul Ahmed/Al Karam1mtr (0.13 percent),rice basmati broken (0.10 percent), and gur (0.06 percent).

The commodities, which recorded decrease in their prices during the period under review include sugar (6.28 percent), eggs (3.80 percent), moong (3.03 percent), onions (1.61 percent), chicken (1.47 percent), pulse gram (0.94 percent), bananas (0.93 percent),wheat flour bag 20kg (0.91 percent),masoor (0.58 percent), and maash (0.56 percent).

The commodities, whose prices remained unchanged during the period included bread plain (small size), milk fresh, curd, powdered milk Nido 390gm polybag each, salt powdered, chilies powder, cigarettes Capstan 20’s packet each, lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam1mtr, gents sandal Bata pair, gents sponge chappal Bata pair, ladies sandal Bata pair, electricity charges for Q1 per unit, gas charges, energy saver, match box, petrol super, hi-speed diesel, telephone call charges, and toilet soap Lifebuoy. -TAHIR AMIN