SPI inflation climbs 0.37% on surge in chicken, LPG prices

The Sensitive Price Index (SPI)-based inflation increased 0.37 percent for the week ended March 5, driven mainly by higher prices of chicken, LPG and petroleum products, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Friday.

Among the items that recorded price increases, chicken rose 10.46 percent, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) 5.61 percent, bananas 3.85 percent, petrol 3.06 percent, and diesel 1.84 percent. Other items that became more expensive included garlic (1.23 percent), beef (0.66 percent), mutton (0.65 percent), pulse mash (0.51 percent), printed lawn (0.43 percent), gur (0.30 percent) and mustard oil (0.24 percent).

Prices of several food items declined during the week. Tomatoes fell 10.04 percent, eggs 8.13 percent, onions 6.08 percent, potatoes 5.09 percent, and wheat flour 2.40 percent. Smaller declines were recorded in pulse gram (0.50 percent), pulse moong (0.43 percent) and five-litre cooking oil (0.37 percent).

Out of 51 monitored items, prices of 13 items (25.49 percent) increased, 11 items (21.57 percent) decreased, while 27 items (52.96 percent) remained unchanged during the week.

On a year-on-year basis, SPI inflation increased 4.70 percent.

Annual price increases were led by gas charges for Q1 (29.85 percent), wheat flour (26.13 percent), electricity charges for Q1 (17.33 percent), LPG (16.89 percent), chili powder (15.20 percent), beef (12.36 percent), firewood (11.40 percent), powdered milk (10.16 percent), mutton (9.32 percent), tomatoes (9.02 percent), gur (8.51 percent) and broken basmati rice (6.18 percent).

However, several commodities recorded year-on-year declines, including potatoes (53.76 percent), onions (26.10 percent), eggs (24.93 percent), garlic (22.25 percent), chicken (21.70 percent), pulse gram (21.37 percent), powdered salt (12.52 percent) and pulse masoor (10.71 percent).

Among income groups, the SPI for households earning up to Rs17,732 per month remained unchanged at 323.48 points.

For the Rs17,733–22,888 income group, the index increased 0.09 percent, rising from 325.20 points to 325.48 points. The Rs22,889–29,517 group saw the SPI increase from 345.76 points to 346.32 points.

For households earning Rs29,518–44,175, the index rose 0.26 percent, from 332.19 points to 333.05 points, while the Rs44,175 and above income group recorded a 0.53 percent increase, with the SPI rising from 331.23 points to 333 points.