ISLAMABAD, July 26: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) moved up further by 0.06 per cent during the week ending July 24, over the previous week, according to the weekly price data released by the Federal Bureau of Statistics here on Saturday.

At the end of the week, the SPI stood at 108.57 with 2000-01 as the base year.

The increase in SPI was exclusively due to 0.10 per cent rise in the food group with disproportionately high impact on the lower income households, an analysis indicates.

Thus among the income groups, the households with incomes up to Rs3,000 per month suffered the highest increase during the period under review — 0.15 per cent. For the households in the income bracket Rs3,001-5,000 and Rs5,001-12,000, it spiralled by 0.14 per cent and 0.10 per cent, respectively.

Disaggregated for impact of change in prices of various groups of items, a table provided by the FBS shows that the food group registered an increase of 0.20 per cent specifically for the lowest income group.

The increase in SPI for the households with incomes above Rs12,000 was of only 0.02 per cent.

The period under review saw a spiral of prices of 13 essential items and decrease in those of only six items. The remaining 34 items in the SPI basket remained as dear as during the previous week.

Particularly, intriguing was the increase in the price of wheat flour (average quality) and that of wheat at the outset of the wheat year. The average rate of wheat flour went up by a further 0.59pc from Rs10.18 to Rs10.24 per kg, while wheat was being sold at Rs8.72 per kg, denoting an increase of 0.23pc over the previous week.

The 11 other items, which became dearer during the period under review as compared to the previous week, were as follows: Tomatoes (4.60pc), onions (1.83pc), garlic (1.56pc), egg (farm) (0.94pc) beef (0.86pc), mash pulse washed (0.72pc), mutton (0.44pc), vegetable ghee loose (0.38pc), milk powdered (NIDO) (0.14pc), gram pulse washed (0.12pc) and gur (0.10pc).

Farm chicken, according to the FBS data, declined in price by 3.58pc. But it remained overpriced for the current season at the prevailing rate of Rs52.76 per kg. This, after adjustment for wastage, translates into the rate of approximately Rs90 per kg.

The prices of five other items, as per the data collected by FBS staff in 17 towns of Pakistan, declined as follows: Bananas (-2.46pc), potatoes (-2.33pc), red chilies (powdered) (-0.44pc), masoor pulse washed (-0.26pc) and sugar (-0.10pc).

CEMENT: During the period under review, the industrialists, maintained the prices of cement at the level they had pegged at during the previous week. This is no condescension on their part because the consumers had rightly expected substantial relief following withdrawal of 25pc excise duty and the cement factories’ conversion to coal.