TAHIR AMIN

ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) based inflation for the week ended on October 28, recorded an increase of 4.13 percent due to increase in prices of food items including salt powder (2.57 percent), tea Lipton (1.89 percent, rice IRRI-6/9 (1.24 percent) and non-food items including electricity Q1 (89.34 percent), energy Saver (1.57 percent) and firewood (1.31 percent), says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The year on year trend depicts an increase of 30.68 percent mainly due to increase in the prices of onions (177.37 percent), tomatoes (84.17 percent), diesel (74.51 percent), pulse gram (64.73 percent), petrol (62.75 percent), cooking oil 5 litre (55.13 percent), washing soap (54.97 percent), pulse moong (54.19 percent), pulse masoor (52.33 percent), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (52.31 percent), gents sponge chappal (52.21 percent), mustard oil (50.97 percent), pulse mash (50.08 percent) and vegetable ghee 1 kg (49.44 percent), while decrease observed in the prices of chillies powder (41.85 percent), sugar (16.45 percent) and gur (5.01percent).

The SPI for the week under review in the above mentioned group was recorded at 213.74 points against 205.27 points registered in the previous week, according to the latest PBS data released on Friday.

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 21 (41.18 percent) items increased, 16 (31.37 percent) items decreased and 14 (27.45 percent) items remained stable.

The SPI for the consumption group up to Rs17,732, Rs17,732-22,888, Rs22,889-29,517, Rs29,518-44,175 and for above increased by 4.64 percent, 6.76 percent, 4.55 percent, 3.41 percent and 0.88 percent respectively.

The items, which recorded increase in their average prices during the week over previous include electricity charges for q1 (89.34 percent), salt powdered (2.57 percent), tea Lipton yellow label (1.89 percent), energy saver (1.57 percent), firewood whole 40 kg (1.31 percent), rice irri-6/9 (1.24 percent), garlic (1.04 percent), toilet soap lifebuoy (0.87 percent), bread plain (0.78 percent), powdered milk Nido 390 gm polybag each (0.72 percent), georgette (0.70 percent), rice basmati broken (0.63 percent), tea prepared (0.54 percent), shirting (0.39 percent), cooking oil Dalda or other similar brand (sn), 5 litre tin each (0.32 percent), Sufi washing soap (0.31 percent), beef with bone (0.31 percent), eggs (0.19 percent), wheat flour bag 20 kg (0.19 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5 kg tin each (0.14 percent), mutton and (0.01 percent).