March 23, 2003	Sunday	Muharram 19, 1424

ISLAMABAD, March 22: The Sensitive Price Indicator established a record of sorts by registering an increase of 0.61 per cent during the single week ending March 20, 2003, as compared to previous week mainly due to the second hike in prices of hydrocarbon fuels in as many months.

According to the weekly price data released by the Federal Bureau of Statistics here on Saturday, the petrol became costlier by 3.60%, kerosene by 3.32% and diesel by 3.26%. As compared to corresponding week of previous year, their prices shot up by 14.98% (petrol), kerosene (54.48%) and diesel (65.02%).

Overall, it was a remarkable week because it saw a startling reversal of the downward trend of prices persisting over recent weeks as the SPI exceeded the figure 108 after having remained at 107 plus something over the past several months.

Out of 51 essential items, the prices of as many as 16 other items also shot up during the period under review over the previous week as follows:

Ladies sandal (Bata) (25.08%), gents sandal (25.06%), chicken farm (1.59%), milk fresh (0.98%), onions (0.86%), moong pulse washed (0.63%), egg (farm) (0.54%), bananas (0.37%), potatoes (0.31%), gur (0.20%), rice basmati broken (0.16%), mustard oil (0.13%), wheat, beef and vegetable ghee (loose) (0.11% each).

The prices of 8 items are shown to have decreased as follows:

Tomatoes (5.14%), garlic (5.12%), masoor pulse washed (0.82%), L.P.G. 11 KG cylinder (0.64%), gram pulse washed and red chilies (powdered) (0.47%), mash pulse washed (0.22%) and sugar (0.15%).

According to another table provided by FBS, the prices of fertilizer picked up momentum again during the period under review. Thus out of 10 fertilizers, the prices of 9 surged as follows:

Urea Sona (0.14%), Urea Kisan (0.12%), Ammonium Sulphate (1.27%), Dia Ammon. Phosphate (2.95%), Nitro Phosphate and S.SP. Phosphate (GR) (0.19% each), S.SP. Phosphate (PD) (1.02%), T. SP. Phosphate (GR) (0.73%) and C. Ammonium Nitrate (0.45%).

There was, however, a decrease of 0.21% in the price of Sulphate of Pot.

The prices of cement, after having remained relatively steady during the few months, became lively again. Thus during the period under review, their prices registered an increase of 10.91%, as compared to previous week.

It was the most expensive in Islamabad at Rs232.50 per bag. Quetta was, however, lucky in that there it was relatively the cheapest at Rs177 per bag.

Desegregated increase in SPI for various income groups shows that the lowest income households with monthly incomes up to Rs3,000 suffered a spurt of 0.32%, those with incomes between Rs3,001-5,000 of 0.34%, those with incomes between Rs5,001-12,000 and those with incomes above Rs12,000 of 0.61%.

Commodity-wise analysis of the price changes shows that the index for Transport & Communication remained under pressure by registering an increase of 3.55% as compared to previous week and of 20.13% over the same period of previous year. Food group climbed by 0.20% during the period under review and non-Food by 1.53%.