ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s short-term inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), recorded a 0.65% decline this week compared to the previous week, while it increased by 1.9% compared to the same period last year, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Friday.
Of the 51 essential items monitored, prices of 18 items (35.29%) rose, 10 items (19.61%) decreased, and 23 items (45.10%) remained unchanged during the week.
Key items with price increases included Pulse Moong (2.56%), Cooking Oil (1.56%), Sugar (1.23%), Chicken (0.80%), and Vegetable Ghee (0.61% for 1 kg and 0.49% for 2.5 kg). Other increases were noted in Bread (0.57%), Washing Soap (0.43%), Garlic (0.39%), and Firewood (0.12%).
In contrast, significant price reductions were observed in Tomatoes (31.40%), Potatoes (10.36%), Eggs (5.96%), Pulse Gram (1.64%), and Onions (0.87%). Smaller decreases were seen in Rice Basmati Broken (0.54%), Rice IRRI-6/9 (0.40%), Pulse Mash (0.27%), and LPG (0.14%).
Over the year, SPI recorded an increase of 1.9%, with notable price surges in Ladies Sandals (75.09%), Potatoes (58.76%), and Pulse Gram (42.11%). Other significant yearly increases included Pulse Moong (34.15%), Powdered Milk (25.76%), Beef (23.75%), and Garlic (18.43%). Utility charges such as Gas for Q1 (15.52%) and everyday items like Vegetable Ghee 1Kg (15.48%) and Cooked Daal (15.10%) also contributed to the trend.
Conversely, year-on-year reductions were observed in the prices of Onions (36.25%), Wheat Flour (36.17%), Eggs (24.07%), Chilies Powder (20.00%), and Electricity Charges for Q1 (18.11%). Diesel, Bread, and Petrol also recorded slight declines, falling by 6.39%, 5.48%, and 5.45%, respectively.
The lowest income group experienced a weekly inflation decline of 1.03%, while the highest income group saw a 0.54% decrease. Annually, the SPI for the lowest income segment rose by 1.44%, whereas the highest income group recorded a 2.22% increase.
Fertilizer: The average price of Sona Urea decreased slightly to Rs4,536 per 50 kg bag, down by 0.07% weekly and 1.84% annually.
Cement Average: Cement prices fell to Rs1,398 per 50 kg bag, a weekly drop of 0.43% but a 14.47% increase compared to last year.
The SPI is calculated weekly to monitor price movements of 51 essential items collected from 50 markets across 17 cities in Pakistan. This enables timely assessments of inflationary trends and facilitates policy decisions regarding price stabilization.
