The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported a decrease of 1.13 percent in the weekly inflation measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for combined consumption groups, ending on March 21.
During this period, the SPI stood at 323.50 points, down from 327.21 points recorded in the previous week. Compared to the same week last year, there was a notable increase of 29.06 percent in the SPI for the combined consumption group.
The weekly SPI, based on a 2015–16 = 100 base year, encompasses 17 urban centers and tracks 51 essential items across all expenditure groups.
In specific consumption groups, the SPI for the lowest bracket, up to Rs. 17,732, saw a decrease of 1.83 percent, dropping to 314.20 points from the previous week’s 320.06 points. Likewise, the SPI for higher consumption brackets experienced declines: 1.64 percent for Rs. 17,732-22,888 group, 1.34 percent for Rs. 22,889-29,517 group, 1.25 percent for Rs. 29,518-44,175 group, and 0.91 percent for the group above Rs. 44,175.
Of the 51 items monitored, prices of 09 items (17.65%) increased, 17 items (33.33%) decreased, and 25 items (49.02%) remained stable during the week. Items such as tomatoes (36.73%), onions (19.58%), and potatoes (4.02%) saw notable decreases in prices, while LPG (1.49%) and shirting (0.74%) experienced price hikes.
On a year-on-year basis, notable decreases were observed in the prices of cooking oil (21.35%), vegetable ghee (18.48% for 2.5 kg and 18.44% for 1 kg), mustard oil (13.90%), bananas (13.52%), diesel (2.47%), and cigarettes (0.06%). Conversely, significant increases were noted in gas charges for Q1 (570.00%), chili powder (86.05%), gents sponge chappal (58.05%), and garlic (57.41%), among others.
