TAHIR AMIN

ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) based inflation for the week ended November 10, recorded an increase of 0.74 percent due to an increase in prices of food items including onions (27.16per cent), potatoes (5.31per cent), tea Lipton (4.62per cent), bananas (4.38per cent), sugar (3.60per cent), eggs (2.13per cent), chicken (1.98per cent) and non-food long cloth 57” (1.21per cent) and firewood (1.21per cent), says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 29.24 per cent mainly due to an increase in the prices of onions (292.30per cent), diesel (64.57per cent), pulse gram (59.69per cent), moong (54.66per cent), petrol (53.85per cent), gents sponge chappal (52.21per cent), bananas (52.18per cent), tea Lipton (50.39per cent), washing soap (50.37per cent), maash (49.58per cent), cooking oil 5 litre (46.71per cent), vegetable ghee 2.5kg (46.02per cent) and salt powdered and masoor (45.03per cent), while decrease observed in the prices of chillies powder (41.85per cent), sugar (8.90per cent), gur (6.87per cent), electricity for q1 (2.67per cent) and LPG (0.25per cent).

The SPI for the week under review in the above-mentioned group was recorded at 216.48 points against 214.88 points registered in the previous week, according to the latest PBS data released on Friday.

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 22 (43.14per cent) items increased, 14 (24.45per cent) items decreased and 15 (29.41per cent) 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 1.11 per cent, one per cent, 0.87 per cent, 0.80 per cent, and 0.61 per cent respectively.

The items, which recorded an increase in their average prices during the week over the previous include onions (27.16 per cent), potatoes (5.31 per cent), tea Lipton yellow label 190 gm packet each (4.62 per cent), bananas (4.38 per cent), sugar (3.60 per cent), eggs (2.13 per cent), chicken (1.98 per cent), firewood whole 40 kg (1.21 per cent), long cloth 57” Gul Ahmed/Al Karam(1.21 per cent), bread plain (0.69 per cent), Georgette (0.67 per cent), rice irri-6/9 (0.66 per cent), Sufi washing soap 250 gm (0.55 per cent), curd (0.46 per cent), tea prepared (0.44 per cent), salt powdered (0.44 per cent), powdered milk Nido390 gm polybag each (0.29 per cent), shirting (0.19 per cent), milk fresh (0.17 per cent), cooked daal (0.14 per cent), mustard oil (0.04 per cent), and toilet soap Lifebuoy 115 gm each (0.03 per cent).

The commodities, which recorded a decrease in their average prices included tomatoes (6.37 per cent), pulse gram (2.02 per cent), masoor (1.50 per cent), pulse moong (0.90 per cent), cooking oil Dalda or other similar brand (sn), 5 litre tin each (0.89 per cent), gur (0.72 per cent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1 kg pouch each (0.63 per cent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5 kg tin each (0.56 per cent), mutton (0.38 per cent), wheat flour bag 20 kg (0.30 per cent), LPG (0.26 per cent), garlic (0.24 per cent), pulse mash (0.23 per cent), and rice basmati broken (0.05 per cent).

The commodities, prices of which, remained unchanged included beef with bone, chilies powder National, cooked beef, cigarettes Capstan, lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, gents sandal Bata pair, gents sponge chappal Bata pair, ladies sandal Bata pair, electricity charges, gas charges, energy saver, matchbox, petrol super, hi-speed diesel, and telephone call charges.