TAHIR AMIN

ISLAMABAD: The Consumer Price Index (CPI) witnessed an increase of 11.53 percent on year-on-year basis in November 2021 as compared to an increase of 8.3 percent in November 2020, says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

However, the PBS later removed CPI data from the website. The PBS routinely releases CPI data on first date of every month.

According to the PBS data, the prices of food and non-food items including vegetables, fruits, egg, cooking oil/ghee, milk, pulses, motor fuel, electricity charges, cotton cloth, motor vehicle accessories, construction input items, and drugs and medicines, sugar crops, fertiliser, chemicals, steel products and hosiery products.

As per the monthly review of price indices by the PBS on month-on-month basis, it increased by three percent in November 2021 as compared to increase of 1.9 percent in the previous month and an increase of 0.8 percent in November 2020.

The National Consumer Price Index for November 2021 is increased by 2.98 percent over October 2021 and increased by 11.53 percent over corresponding month of the last year i.e. November 2020.

The CPI inflation Urban, increased by 12 percent on year-on-year basis in November 2021 as compared to an increase of 9.6 percent in the previous month and seven percent in November 2020. On month-on-month basis, it increased by 2.9 percent in November 2021 as compared to increase of 1.7 percent in the previous month and an increase of 0.6 percent in November 2020.

The CPI inflation Rural, increased by 10.9 percent on year-on-year basis in November 2021 as compared to an increase of 8.7 percent in the previous month and 10.5 percent in November 2020.

On month-on-month basis, it increased by 3.1 percent in November 2021 as compared to increase of 2.2 percent in the previous month and an increase of 1.1 percent in November 2020.

The Sensitive Price Index (SPI) inflation on YoY increased by 18.1 percent in November 2021 as compared to an increase of 15.2 percent a month earlier and an increase of 9.9 percent in November 2020.

On MoM basis, it increased by 3.6 percent in November 2021 as compared to increase of 2.1 percent a month earlier and an increase of 1.1 percent in November 2020.

The Wholesale Price index (WPI) inflation on YoY basis increased by 27 percent in November 2021 as compared to an increase of 21.2 percent a month earlier and an increase of five percent in November 2020. The WPI inflation on MoM basis increased by 3.8 percent in November 2021 as compared to an increase of 4.2 percent a month earlier and a decrease of 0.9 percent in corresponding month i.e. November 2020.

Measured by non-food non-energy Urban increased by 7.6 percent on YoY basis in November, 2021 as compared to an increase of 6.7 percent in the previous month and 5.6 percent in November, 2020. On MoM basis, it increased by 1.1 percent in November, 2021 as compared to increase of 0.9 percent in previous month, and an increase of 0.3 percent in corresponding month of last year i.e. November, 2020. Measured by non-food non-energy Rural increased by 8.2 percent on YoY basis in November, 2021 as compared to an increase of 6.7 percent in the previous month and 7.4 percent in November, 2020. On MoM basis, it increased by 1.8 percent in November 2021 as compared to an increase of 1.0 percent in previous month, and an increase of 0.3 percent in corresponding month of last year i.e. November 2020.

Measured by 20 percent weighted trimmed mean Urban increased by 9.8 percent on YoY basis in November, 2021 as compared to 8.7 percent in the previous month and 6.3 percent in November 2020. On MoM basis, it increased by 1.7 percent in November, 2021 as compared to an increase of 1.1 percent in the previous month and an increase of 0.2 percent in corresponding month of last year i.e. November 2020.

Measured by 20 percent weighted trimmed mean Rural increased by 9.5 percent on YoY basis in November 2021 as compared to 8.2 percent in the previous month and by 9.1 percent in November 2020. On MoM basis, it increased by 2.2 percent in November 2021 as compared to an increase of 1.6 percent in the previous month and an increase of 0.4 percent in the corresponding month of last year i.e. November 2020.

The Urban Consumer Price Index of November 2021 is increased by 2.86 percent over October 2021 and increased by 11.99 percent over corresponding month of the last year i.e. November 2020.

Top few commodities, which varied from previous month and contributed to urban CPI among food which registered increase are tomatoes (131.64percent), mustard oil (11.6percent), vegetable ghee (10.87percent), vegetables (10.47percent), eggs (10.19percent), cooking oil (9.71percent), potatoes (8.85percent), honey (5.61percent), fruits (4.37percent), masoor (3.14percent), meat (2.63percent), milk (2.33percent), fish (1.90percent), gram whole (1.77percent), rice (1.73percent), and sugar (1.43percent) and decreased in onions (7.97percent), chicken (4.34percent), and moong (0.69percent), according to the PBS data.

Among non-food items, which registered increase are liquefied hydrocarbons (16.32percent), cleaning and laundering (16.16percent), motor fuel (8.40percent), electricity charges (8.32percent), carpets (3.61percent), cotton cloth (2.64percent), motor vehicle accessories (2.43percent), washing soap, detergents, and match box (2.24percent), construction input items (1.99percent), and drugs and medicines (1.63percent).

On YoY, top few commodities, which varied from the previous year and contributed to the UCPI among food items, which registered increased are vegetable ghee (58.29percent), mustard oil (56.96percent), cooking oil (53.59percent), masoor (22.38percent), fruits (21.67percent), meat (20.2percent), wheat flour (19.04percent), gram whole (14.69percent), beans (12.77percent), milk (11.71percent), vegetables (10.97percent), butter (10.83percent), and wheat (10.26percent) and decreased in onions (37.68percent), moong (27.03percent), and potatoes (17.66percent).

Among non-food, which increased are liquefied hydrocarbons (80.34percent), electricity charges (47.87percent), motor fuel (40.81percent), cleaning and laundering (21.17percent), footwear (16.20percent), washing soap, detergents and match box (14.41percent), motor vehicle accessories (13.99percent), household equipment (12.42percent), and drugs and medicines (11.76percent).

The Rural Consumer Price Index of November 2021 is increased by 3.15percent over October 2021 and increased by 10.87percent over corresponding month of the last year i.e. November 2020.

Top few commodities which varied from previous month and contributed to rural CPI and which increased among food items are tomatoes (150.74percent), potatoes (8.23percent), vegetable ghee (7.43percent), mustard oil (7.23percent), vegetables (7.15percent), cooking oil (7.02percent), eggs (6.03percent), fruits (4.21percent), beans (4.10percent), fish (3.67percent), tea (3.37percent), gram whole (2.40percent), wheat (2.32percent), meat (2.03percent), and masoor (1.47percent) and decreased in onions (11.07percent), chicken (4.41percent), condiments and spices (1.66percent), maash (1.60percent), and moong (1.34percent).

Among non-food items, which increased are liquefied hydrocarbons (13.45percent), woolen readymade garments (9.11percent), motor fuels (8.76percent), electricity charges (8.32percent), readymade garments (3.81percent), cleaning and laundering (3.44percent), construction input items (3.20percent), and woolen cloth (3.17percent).

On YoY basis, the top few commodities, which varied from previous year which increased and contributed to rural CPI among cooking oil (54.88percent), mustard oil (54.2percent), vegetable ghee (53percent), gram whole (20.56percent), meat (18.39percent), masoor (17.88percent), fruits (15.55percent), wheat flour (15.48percent), vegetables (13.41percent), beans (10.54percent), besan (10.24percent), milk (9.62percent), fish(9.36percent), and chicken (9.18percent) and decreased in onions (40.57percent), moong (26.35percent), potatoes (23.5percent), and condiments and spices.

Among non-food items which increased are liquefied hydrocarbons (61.45percent), electricity charges (47.87percent), motor fuels (40.22percent), woolen garments (15.98percent), hosiery (15.3percent), construction input items (12.83percent), washing soaps, detergents and match box (12.71percent), readymade garments (11.32percent), clinic fee (11.21percent), household equipment (11.21percent), vehicles accessories(11.00percent), and furniture and furnishing(9.69percent).

The Wholesale Price Index for November, 2021 increased by 3.79percent over October, 2021. It increased by 26.97percent over the corresponding month of the last year i.e. November 2020.

Top few commodities which varied from previous month and contributed to the WPI inflation and increased included sugar crops (22.26 percent), fertilisers (13.39percent), chemicals (12.69percent), vegetable oils (11.06percent), eggs (10.57percent), fibre crops (10.57percent), kerosene oil (10.40percent), bed foam (10.25percent), diesel (9.65percent), potatoes (9.50percent), motor spirit (9.47percent), tractors (8.10percent), vegetable ghee (8.00percent), steel bar and sheets (7.80percent), ceramics and sanitary fixture (7.44percent), woolen carpets (7.02percent), synthetic carpets (6.78percent), mobil oil (5.68percent), woven fabrics (5.66percent), bricks, blocks and tiles (5.56percent), steel products (4.79percent), soaps and detergents (4.71percent), timber (3.88percent), hosiery products (3.25percent), meat (2.55percent), stimulant and spice crops (2.21percent), plastic products (2.05percent), and coffee and tea (1.81percent), and decreased in bajra (19.83percent), fruits (9.85percent), sugar (2.95percent), poultry(2.42percent), and other oil seeds(0.80percent).

YoY top few commodities, which varied from previous year i.e. November 2020 increased include furnace oil (100.55percent), fibre crops (80.23percent), kerosene oil (77.2percent), cultivators (68.18percent), steel bar and sheets (64.11percent), diesel (62.16percent), vegetable ghee (57.47percent), other oil seeds (56.32percent), vegetable oils (50.87percent), bajra (48.92percent), fertilisers (46.27percent), motor spirit (45.42percent), cotton yarn (45.36percent), chemicals (41.19percent), spices (33.34percent), maize (25.02percent), silk and rayon fabrics (24.52percent), woven fabrics (23.67percent), mobil oil (19.66percent), meat (18.06percent), soaps and detergents (17.92percent), hosiery products (17.19percent), cement (16.12percent), and cotton fabrics (14.98percent) and decreased in stimulant and spice crops (44.72percent) and potatoes (16.97percent).