The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended on September 30, 2021, recorded a decrease of 0.10 percent due to a decline in the prices of some food items, according to the weekly data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The food items that contributed to the decrease include tomatoes that marked 12.57 percent decline, onions 6.75 percent, bananas 3.67 percent, wheat flour bag 2.33 percent, sugar 1.73 percent, jaggery 0.92 percent, pulse Moong 0.71 percent, powdered chilies 0.57 percent, and pulse Mash 0.27 percent.

The year-on-year (YoY) trend depicts an increase of 12.97 percent with prices of most of the items increased, mainly electricity for Q1 (57.92 percent), LPG (55.16 percent), vegetable ghee per kilogram (40.40 percent), vegetable ghee 2.5-kg (38.82 percent), cooking oil 5-liter (38.06 percent), mustard oil (37.87 percent), chicken (36.97 percent), chilies powder (34.95 percent), gents sandals (33.37 percent), eggs (25.62 percent) and gents sponge chappal (25.13 percent), while a major decrease was observed in the prices of tomatoes (50.52 percent), pulse Moong (29.75 percent), potatoes (26.69 percent) and onions (21.66 percent).

According to the latest data, the SPI went down from 157.19 percent during the week that ended on September 23, 2021, to 157.04 percent during the week under review. The SPI for the consumption groups up to Rs. 17,733, 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 0.23 percent, 0.22 percent, 0.18 percent, 0.15 percent, and 0.03 percent respectively.

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 20 (39.21 percent) items increased, 10 (19.61 percent) items decreased and 21 (41.18 percent) items remained constant, said PBS in weekly SPI data.

The commodities, which recorded increase in their average prices include LPG (2.27 percent), potatoes (1.73 percent), garlic (1.61 percent), chicken (0.87 percent), mustard oil (0.73 percent), tea prepared (0.56 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5 kg tin each (0.49 percent), eggs (0.39 percent), georgette (0.34 percent), toilet soap (0.11 percent), pulse Masoor (0.09 percent), cooked beef (0.07 percent), beef with bone (0.06 percent), fresh milk (0.04 percent), mutton (0.03 percent), rice Basmati broken (0.03 percent), long cloth 57″ Gul Ahmed/al-Karam (0.02 percent), curd (0.02 percent), cooking oil Dalda or other similar brand (sn), 5-liter tin each (0.01 percent) and rice irri-6/9 (0.01 percent).

The commodities which recorded a decrease in their prices during the period under review include tomatoes (12.57 percent) onions (6.75 percent0, bananas (3.67 percent), wheat flour bag 20 kg (2.33 percent), sugar (1.73 percent), jaggery (0.92 percent), pulse Moong (0.71 percent), National chilies powder 200-g packet each (0.57 percent), pulse Mash (0.27 percent) and gram (0.26 percent).

Source: Pro Pakistani