ISLAMABAD, Nov 8: Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) on Saturday reported a 0.38 per cent decline in Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) during the week ending Nov 6, 2003 which also saw a sharp increase in rates of petroleum products.

The bureau based its results on 0.66pc decrease in SPI for food group over the previous week, which was attributable mainly to seasonal phenomenon of increased supply of certain vegetables. Yet, the SPI for Transport & Communications group shot up by 1.94pc and that for non-food group by 0.27pc.

Based on average of prices collected in 17 cities of Pakistan in respect of 53 essential items, the prices of 15 items showed decrease during the period under review, as compared to previous week as follows:

Tomatoes (-14.63pc), onions (-8.65pc), potatoes (-4.24pc), chicken farm (-3.15pc), washing soap (nylon) (-3pc), garlic (-1.60pc), sugar (-1.06pc), bananas (-0.75pc), gur (-0.71pc), LPG (11 kg cylinder) (-0.48pc), milk fresh (-0.32pc), gram pulse washed (-0.29pc), curd (-0.26pc), masoor pulse washed (-0.20pc) and red chilies (-0.13pc).

The period under review also registered substantial increase in prices of 15 essential items as follows: diesel (4.19pc), kerosene (3.13pc), egg (farm) (1.95pc), petrol (1.58pc), wheat (1.44pc), wheat flour average quality (0.62pc), vegetable ghee (loose) (0.58pc), mustard oil (0.55pc), beef (0.42pc), mutton (0.41pc), firewood (0.39pc), rice basmati broken (0.37pc), cooking oil (tin) (0.18pc), mash pulse washed (0.8pc) and moong pulse washed (0.04pc).

Furthermore, the price of cement also decreased slightly by 0.02pc, as compared to previous week.

Analysed from the point of economic groups, the FBS statement registered a decline of 0.40pc in SPI for the lower income group with incomes up to Rs3,000 per month. The index also dropped by 0.43pc for the income group Rs3001-5000 and by 0.46pc for that in the income bracket Rs5,001-12,000 by 0.46pc, while households with incomes above Rs12,000 underwent a decrease of 0.26pc.

According to a table, the FBS also reports an increase of 0.18pc in the rates of CNG. The prices peaked at Rawalpindi/Islamabad at Rs25.45 per kg, irrespective of the fact that all the gas used in the twin cities is extracted from the vast gas reservoirs in their own periphery.

FERTILIZER: All the varieties of chemical fertilizers, with 2 exceptions, became dearer during the period under review.