ISLAMABAD, July 5: Sensitive Price Indicator, mainly attributable to yet another hike in the cost of hydrocarbon fuels, moved up by 0.32 per cent during the week ending July 3, 2003, as compared to previous week.

According to the weekly price data issued by the Federal Bureau of Statistics here on Saturday, the rise in SPI hit all the income brackets by a large margin as follows:

The households with monthly income up to Rs3000 and those in the slightly upper stratum (Rs3001-5000) registered an increase of 0.29 per cent each, while those in the income bracket Rs5001-12000 of 0.28 per cent and those with incomes above Rs12000 increased by 0.33 per cent.

FBS also disaggregates the change in SPI from the perspective of various groups of items within the 53-item basket. The data thus shows that food items recorded an increase of 0.37 per cent as compared to previous week and of 1.09 per cent over the corresponding period of previous year. SPI for non-food items rose by 0.21 per cent and 2.45 per cent over previous week and year, respectively.

In respect of utility, SPI remained unchanged when compared to previous week but increased by 4.34 per cent over the same period of previous year. As regards transport & communication, the SPI moved up by 1.20 per cent over the previous week. When compared to previous year, however, it showed a decline of 6 per cent.

These and other changes in prices of essential items do not necessarily reflect the continuous increase in cost of living in the persistent economic recession.

The prices are collected in 17 towns and then averaged out. Lower prices in some of the towns do not necessarily mean any relief for their inhabitants because the lower wages there smoothen whatever benefit these might accrue from availability of cheaper goods.

The FBS statement reports that prices of 16 essential items went up during the period under review as compared to previous week. Thus the average price of eggs, for example, has been shown as Rs27.79 per dozen (12.06 per cent more than last week) whereas it was not available for less than Rs30 per dozen in Islamabad. The situation as regards other 15 items was as follows:

Potatoes (10.18 per cent), tomatoes (9.63 per cent), diesel (1.39 per cent), petrol (1.16 per cent), LPG (11 kg cylinder) (1.12 per cent), onions (0.85 per cent), cooked dal (plate) (0.60 per cent), garlic (0.56 per cent), rice irri-6 (0.49 per cent), cooked beef plate (0.46 per cent), wheat flour (0.40 per cent), firewood (0.27 per cent), moong pulse washed (0.17 per cent), rice basmati broken (0.11 per cent) and mustard oil (0.10 per cent).

The period under review also saw decrease in prices of 11 items as compared to previous week. These included: Bananas (2.82 per cent), chicken farm (1.31 per cent), red chilies (powdered) (0.59 per cent), washing soap (nylon) (0.40 per cent), wheat (0.35 per cent), lawn (0.34 per cent), gram pulse washed (0.28 per cent), vegetable ghee (loose) (0.18 per cent), kerosene (0.14 per cent) and masoor pulse washed (0.09 per cent).

CEMENT: Although the price of cement based on average of prices prevailing in 10 cities of Pakistan shows a decrease of 0.27 per cent over the previous week, in fact, it sold dearly at Rs232.50 in Rawalpindi/ Islamabad and at Rs230 per bag at Lahore and Quetta.