SPI Marks 1.07% Hike as Prices of Essential Items Rise

The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended on November 18, 2021, recorded an increase of 1.07 percent due to the hike in prices of different commodities.

The prices of chicken increased by 8.26 percent, cooking oil by 4.72 percent, bananas by 4.18 percent, washing soap by 3.94 percent, vegetable ghee by 3.15 percent, rice by 1.76 percent, pulse moong by 1.62 percent, eggs by 1.52 percent, and firewood by 1.24 percent), according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 18.34 percent mainly due to the increase in prices of LPG (76.12 percent), electricity in the first quarter of the fiscal year 2021-22 (75.32 percent), vegetable ghee one kilogram (56.94 percent), cooking oil five liters (56.28 percent), mustard oil (55.42 percent), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (52.94 percent), petrol (44.35 percent), diesel (40.21 percent), washing soap (37.70 percent) and powdered chilies (34.18 percent), while a major decrease was observed in the prices of onion (38.61 percent), pulse moong (28.80 percent), potatoes (26.55 percent), tomatoes (6.34 percent), and sugar (3.51 percent).

According to the latest data, the SPI went up from 167.50 percent during the week ended on November 11, 2021, to 169.29 percent.

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 increased by 0.39 percent, 0.53 percent, 0.91 percent, 1.06 percent, and 1.44 percent respectively.

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 27 items increased (52.94 percent) and 10 items decreased (19.61 percent), while the prices of 14 items remained stable (27.45 percent), said the PBS in weekly SPI data.

The commodities which recorded increase in their average prices include chicken (8.26 percent), cooking oil dalda or other similar brand (sn), five liter tin each (4.72 percent), bananas (4.18 percent), Sufi washing soap 250gm cake each (3.94 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5 kg tin each (3.15 percent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1-kg pouch each (2.38 percent), rice irri-6/9 (1.76 percent), pulse moong (1.62 percent), eggs hen (1.52 percent), firewood whole (1.24 percent), tea prepared ordinary per cup (1.21 percent), pulse mash (0.99 percent), powdered salt (0.90 percent), matches box (0.88 percent), long cloth 57″ Gul Ahmed/al-Karam 1 meter (0.84 percent), shirting (0.83 percent), cooked beef (0.69 percent), georgette (0.64 percent), bead plain (0.63 percent), chilies powder National (0.56 percent), mustard oil (0.47 percent), rice basmati broken (0.38 percent), powdered milk (0.24 percent), fresh milk (0.20 percent), curd (0.19 percent), beef with bones (0.19 percent) and mutton (0.15 percent).

The commodities which recorded a decrease in their prices during the period under review include tomatoes (5.77 percent), refined sugar (4.25 percent), onion (2.14 percent), gur/jaggery (1.48 percent), potatoes (1.36 percent), pulse masoor (0.43 percent), garlic (0.13 percent), wheat flour bag 20 kg (0.08 percent), LPG (0.08 percent) and pulse gram (0.02 percent).

The commodities which marked unchanged prices during the period included tea Lipton Yellow Label, cooked daal, cigarettes Capstan 20’s packet each, lawn-printed Gul Ahmed/al-Karam 1 meter, gents sandal Bata pair, gents sponge chappal Bata pair, ladies sandal Bata pair, electricity charges for fist quarter of the fiscal year per unit, gas charges, energy saver, petrol super per liter, hi-speed diesel per liter, telephone call charges and toilet soap lifebuoy.

Source: Pro Pakistani