Weekly inflation rises by 0.63% in Pakistan: PBS report

ISLAMABAD: Inflation in Pakistan rose by 0.63% during the past week, while the year-on-year weekly inflation rate was recorded at 3.57%, ARY News reported on Friday, citing the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) report.

The PBS weekly report noted that 18 essential items became more expensive, 6 commodities recorded a price decline, while the rates of 27 items remained unchanged.

The report revealed that the price of sugar increased for the second consecutive week, reaching an average of Rs. 181.59 per kg nationwide.

Among food items, tomatoes became costlier by Rs. 18.30 per kg, potatoes by Rs. 1.23 per kg, and a 20-kg wheat flour bag surged by Rs. 197.70.

Similarly, the LPG domestic cylinder rose by Rs. 24.24, while broiler chicken increased by Rs. 15.30 per kg and eggs by Rs. 3.12 per dozen.

Other items that saw price hikes included garlic (Rs. 3.05 per kg), moong pulse (91 paisa per kg), gur, rice, milk, and firewood.

On the other hand, prices of mash pulse, masoor pulse, and chana pulse registered a decline during the same period.

Read more: Weekly inflation rises amid surge in sugar, gas prices

Short-term inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), increased by 2.3 per cent year-on-year during the week ended August 21, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported.

On a week-on-week basis, however, the SPI for combined consumption groups edged down slightly by 0.01 per cent, standing at 329.11 points compared to 329.15 points in the previous week.