The Sensitive Price Index (SPI)-based inflation for the week ended December 19, 2024, increased by 0.38% due to an increase in the prices of tomatoes (56.66%), firewood (1.57%), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (0.95%), cooking oil 5 liter (0.79%) and sugar (0.23%), says Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 4.64% mainly due to an increase in the prices of tomatoes (95.54%), ladies’ sandals (75.09%), pulse gram (56.75 %), potatoes (50.81%), pulse moong (34.88%), powdered milk (25.62% ), beef (23.84% ), garlic (17.13%), gas charges for q1 ( 15.52%), cooked daal (15.08%), shirting (14.36%) and firewood (12.43%), while a major decrease is observed in the prices of wheat flour (36.15%), chilies powder (20.00%), onions (13.74%), eggs (12.98%), pulse masoor (10.64%), rice basmati broken (7.62%), diesel (7.49%), electricity charges for q1 (6.96%), bread (6.01%), petrol (5.64%) and sugar (5.20%).

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 15 (29.41%) items increased, 13 (25.49%) items decreased and 23 (45.10%) items remained stable.

The SPI for the week under review was recorded at 324.38 points against 323.14 points during the same period of the previous week. The SPI for the consumption group up to Rs. 17,732, Rs. 17,732-Rs. 22,888, Rs. 22,889 – Rs. 29,517, Rs. 29,518-Rs. 44,175 and above Rs. 44,175 increased by 0.68%, 0.60%, 0.46%, 0.41% and 0.30% respectively.

The item prices that increased during the period under review include garlic (1.40%), mustard oil (0.74%), LPG (0.71%), toilet soap lifebuoy (0.33%), gur (0.28%), cooked daal (0.20%), georgette (0.13%), long cloth 57″ Gul Ahmed/Al Karam (0.10%) and beef with bone (0.02%).

The items prices of which decreased during the period under review include; onions (4.16%), potatoes (3.83%), eggs (2.72%), hi-speed diesel (1.17%), pulse gram (0.98%), wheat flour bag 20 kg (0.76%), bananas (0.56%), rice basmati broken (0.27%), pulse moong (0.27%), pulse mash (0.25%), pulse masoor (0.13%), chicken (0.07%) and bread plain (0.02%).