Potato, onion prices fall, wheat flour rises as weekly inflation eases 0.16%

ISLAMABAD: Weekly inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), decreased by 0.16% for the combined consumption group during the week ending September 25, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported on Friday.

According to PBS data, the SPI was recorded at 330.32 points, down from 330.84 points the previous week. However, compared to the same week last year, the SPI showed an increase of 3.95%.

The SPI—based on the 2015–16 base year—tracks 51 essential items across 17 urban centres for various expenditure groups.

For the lowest income group (up to Rs17,732), inflation edged up slightly by 0.02%, rising to 322.77 points from 322.71 points last week. In contrast, inflation for other expenditure groups showed declines.

The SPI for consumption groups of Rs17,733–22,888; Rs22,889–29,517; Rs29,518–44,175 and above Rs44,175 decreased by 0.04 percent, 0.09 percent, 0.14 percent and 0.21 percent respectively.

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 17 (33.33 percent) items increased, 11 (21.57 percent) items decreased and 23 (45.10 percent) items remained stable.

The commodities which recorded major decrease in their average prices on a week-on-week basis included chicken (12.46%), bananas (4.22%), potatoes (2.44%), onions (1.61%), LPG (0.65%), garlic (0.61%), pulse moong (0.60%), pulse gram (0.53%), pulse mash (0.39%), pulse masoor (0.14%) and rice IRRI-6/9 (0.01%).

The items which recorded major increase in their average prices on a week-on-week basis included tomatoes (9.04%), eggs (0.88%), wheat flour (0.76%), gur (0.64%), powdered milk (0.58%), washing soap (0.47%), mutton (0.40%), cooking oil 5 litre (0.21%), lawn printed cloth (0.17%), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (0.16%), milk fresh (0.15%) and curd (0.11%).

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On year-on-year basis, the commodities which recorded decrease in their average prices included onions (42.39%), garlic (27.95%), electricity charges for Q1 (26.26%), pulse gram (22.65%), chicken (22.33%), pulse mash (19.81%), potatoes (18.04%), tea Lipton (17.93%), pulse masoor (4.54%) and rice IRRI-6/9 (2.45%).

On year-on-year basis, the commodities that witnessed an increase in prices included ladies sandal (55.62%), tomatoes (53.61%), sugar (31.90%), gas charges for Q1 (29.85%), wheat flour (17.36%), pulse moong (16.67%), gur (12.15%), beef (12.04%), firewood (11.77%), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (11.37%), vegetable ghee 1 kg (11.09%), diesel (9.51%) and cooking oil (9.01%).