ISLAMABAD: Weekly inflation, measured through the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), fell by 0.16% for the combined consumption group in the week ending September 25, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported on Friday.
The SPI dropped to 330.32 points from 330.84 a week earlier, though it was still 3.95% higher compared to the same week last year. Based on the 2015–16 index, the SPI tracks 51 key items across 17 urban centres for different income groups.
For the lowest income group (earning up to Rs17,732), inflation edged up by 0.02%, rising from 322.71 to 322.77 points.
In contrast, other income groups recorded declines: Rs17,733–22,888 by 0.04%, Rs22,889–29,517 by 0.09%, Rs29,518–44,175 by 0.14%, and above Rs44,175 by 0.21%.
Out of 51 essential items, prices of 17 (33.33%) rose, 11 (21.57%) declined, and 23 (45.10%) remained unchanged.
The biggest week-on-week drops were seen in chicken (12.46%), bananas (4.22%), potatoes (2.44%), onions (1.61%), LPG (0.65%), garlic (0.61%), moong pulse (0.60%), gram pulse (0.53%), mash pulse (0.39%), masoor pulse (0.14%), and IRRI-6/9 rice (0.01%).
On the other hand, major increases were recorded in 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%), printed lawn (0.17%), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (0.16%), fresh milk (0.15%), and curd (0.11%).
Year-on-year data showed significant declines in onions (42.39%), garlic (27.95%), electricity charges for Q1 (26.26%), gram pulse (22.65%), chicken (22.33%), mash pulse (19.81%), potatoes (18.04%), branded tea (17.93%), masoor pulse (4.54%), and IRRI-6/9 rice (2.45%).
However, annual price hikes were recorded in ladies’ sandals (55.62%), tomatoes (53.61%), sugar (31.90%), gas charges for Q1 (29.85%), wheat flour (17.36%), moong pulse (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%).