ISLAMABAD, April 12: The Consumer Price Index recorded the highest increase of 3.70 per cent during the period July- March, 2003-04, as compared to the corresponding period of previous two years.

During the period July-March of 2001-02 and 2002-03, says the monthly review of Price Indices released by the Federal Bureau of Statistics here on Monday, the CPI had gone up 3.32pc and 3.39pc, respectively.

The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) during the first 9 months of 2003-04 had spiralled by 5.51pc and the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) by 6.68pc, as compared to corresponding period of 2002-03.

The relentless rise of CPI is further highlighted by the FBS analysis for the month of March 2004. During that period, CPI spiralled by 5.33pc over the same period of 2002-03. The month of March, it may be noted, had seen the CPI going up by 4.16pc and 2.24pc, respectively, in 2001-02 and 2002-03.

The SPI recorded in March 2004, an increase of 8.74pc in March 2004 over the corresponding period of previous year. No single month had undergone the rise in SPI over the past several years. As compared to previous month (February, 2004), the SPI shot up by 1.30pc.

WPI registered an increase of 8.21pc in March 2004, as compared to March 2003, and by 1.77pc over the previous month. Disaggregation of the movement in CPI in respect of the ten groups comprising the items comprising the index, similarly, shows an alarming trend of persistent increase in cost of living.

In the lead was the group "Food & beverages" where the CPI spurted by 1.79pc in March 2004, as against the previous month and by 7.57pc over the same period of 2002-03.

Next in order of increase was "household, furniture & equipment" which moved up by 1.63pc over the previous month. The CPI, in respect of other groups, surged in comparison with previous month as follows:

* House rent: 1.02pc;

* Fuel & lighting: 0.02pc;

* Transport & communication: 0.21pc;

* Recreation & entertainment: 0.03pc;

* Education: 0.28pc;

* Cleaning, laundry & personal appearance: 0.16pc; and

* Medicare: 0.14pc.

The only exception to the general trend, as compared to February, 2004, was the group "apparel, textile & footwear". It showed a decline of 0.43pc.

The main commodities which showed an increase in their prices during March 2004, over February, 2004 are as under:

FOOD & BEVERAGES: Fresh fruits (10.23pc), vegetables (7.39 pc), wheat flour (5.87pc), meat (5.76pc), tomatoes (5.30pc), wheat & spices (4.65pc each), maida (3.15pc), milk powder (1.85pc), vegetable ghee (1.80pc), honey (1.74pc), milk fresh (1.70pc), cereals (1.24pc), milk products & jam, tomato ketchup and vinegar (1.17pc), chicken farm (1.03pc), readymade food (0.85pc), betel leaves & nuts (0.84pc), rice (0.83pc), bakery & confectionery (0.76pc) and pulse masoor (0.70pc).