The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended January 27, 2022, recorded a decrease of 0.11 percent due to a decrease in prices of food items, says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 18.62 percent mainly due to an increase in electricity for Q1 (81.39 percent), tomatoes (75.11 percent), LPG (51.90 percent), gents sponge chappal (50.25 percent), mustard oil (46.14 percent), cooking oil 5 litre (45.61 percent), gents sandal (44.49 percent), washing soap (41.74 percent), vegetable ghee 1 kg (41.11 percent), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (40.80 percent) and pulse masoor (38.78 percent), while major decrease observed in the prices of pulse moong (26.41 percent), chillies powdered (22.44 percent), chicken (11.19 percent) and onions (2.06 percent).
According to the latest data, the SPI went down from 167.29 percent during the week ended January 20, 2022, to 167.11 percent during the week under review.
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The SPI for the consumption groups up to Rs17,732, Rs 17,733 to Rs 22,888, Rs 22,889 to Rs 29,517, Rs 29,518 to Rs 44,175 and for above Rs 44,175 decreased by 0.07 percent, 0.05 percent, 0.07 percent, 0.09 and 0.12 percent, respectively.
During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 17 (33.33 percent) items increased, 08 (15.69 percent) items decreased and 26 (50.98 percent) items remained stable, said the PBS in its weekly SPI data.
The commodities, which recorded an increase in their average prices included tomatoes (30.79 percent), garlic (4.51 percent), tea prepared (1.71 percent), mustard oil (1.28 percent), pulse gram (1.18 percent), cooking oil DALDA or other similar brands (SN), 5 litre tin each (1.18 percent), pulse mash (0.95 percent), tea Lipton yellow label (0.91 percent), pulse masoor (0.72 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1 kg pouch each (0.44 percent), pulse moong (0.40 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5 kg tin each (0.28 percent), rice basmati broken (0.26 percent), beef with bone (0.25 percent), wheat flour bag 20 kg (0.22 percent), mutton (0.21 percent) and firewood whole 40 kg (0.14 percent).
The commodities, which recorded a decrease in their prices during the period under review include chillies powder National 200 gm packet each (9.05 percent), potatoes (4.03 percent), onions (2.86 percent), eggs (2.19 percent), LPG (2.04 percent), chicken (1.71 percent), sugar (1.14 percent) and bananas (0.61 percent).
According to the PBS data, sugar prices declined from Rs 92.22 per kg to Rs 91.17 per kg. However, a visit to various markets revealed that sugar was being sold at Rs 98-100 per kg.
Further, according to the data wheat flour bag of 20 kg increased from Rs 1163.97 per 20 kg to Rs1166.48 per 20 kg, but in actuality, the wheat flour was available at Rs 80-90 per kg in retail.
The commodities prices of which remained unchanged during the period included bread plain (small size), rice Irri, milk fresh, curd, gur, salt powdered, cooked daal, cooked beef, Capstan, Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, georgette, gents sandal Bata pair, gents sponge chappal Bata pair, ladies sandal Bata pair, gas charges, Sufi washing soap, petrol, matchbox, hi-speed diesel, telephone call charges and toilet soap.