Pakistan’s weekly inflation climbed 1.4 percent during the week ending July 16, as a sharp jump in the prices of vegetables, poultry and fuel pushed up the cost of essential household items, according to fresh data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Friday.
The Sensitive Price Index (SPI), which tracks short term changes in the prices of commonly used goods, showed tomatoes recording the biggest weekly increase. Tomato prices surged 22.79 percent compared with the previous week.
Chicken prices also rose sharply by 14.66 percent, while liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) became 12.46 percent more expensive. Diesel and petrol prices increased by 4.41 percent and 4.40 percent, respectively, adding further pressure on household budgets.
Other items that became costlier over the week included garlic, which rose 3.72 percent, followed by eggs at 2.15 percent, Lipton tea at 1.56 percent, onions at 1.53 percent and potatoes at 0.85 percent. Prices of prepared tea and firewood also edged higher.
Compared with the same week last year, the SPI was up 13.09 percent, reflecting broad based inflation across several essential goods and utilities.
Tomatoes recorded the steepest annual increase of 210.18 percent, while onion prices were up 75.93 percent. Wheat flour became 71.81 percent more expensive over the year, followed by first quarter electricity charges, which rose 49.14 percent. LPG prices climbed 42.50 percent, while first quarter gas charges increased 29.85 percent.
The PBS also reported notable annual increases in the prices of men’s sponge slippers, mutton, chilli powder, beef, bananas and plain bread.
Despite the overall rise in inflation, several items were cheaper than a year ago. Potato prices fell 36.28 percent, while pulse gram dropped 21.71 percent and sugar declined 21.10 percent. Chicken, salt powder, pulse masoor, eggs and pulse moong also recorded year on year price declines.
During the latest week, prices increased for 27 of the 51 commodities included in the SPI basket. Four items became cheaper, while the remaining 20 recorded no change.
The weekly decline was led by bananas, whose prices fell 0.80 percent. Pulse moong, sugar and pulse masoor also registered modest decreases compared with the previous week.
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