ISLAMABAD, May 17: The inflation, in terms of Sensitive Price Indicator, passed into double digit figure of 10.35 per cent during the week ending May 13, 2004 over the past year as a result of increase of 0.52 per cent over the previous week.

According to the weekly price review released by the Federal Bureau of Statistics after a two-day delay, the SPI index, with the benchmark of 2000-01, reached the level of 118.29 during the period under review.

Hardest hit again were the households with incomes up to Rs3,000 per month with the increase in SPI of 0.65pc over the previous week. It rose by 0.62pc for households in the income bracket Rs3,001-5,000, by 0.56pc for those with incomes between Rs5,001 and Rs12,000 and by 0.41pc for those with incomes above Rs12,000.

When compared to the corresponding period of previous year, the SPI shows an increase of 11.35pc for the lowest income group, of 10.72pc for those with incomes Rs3,001-5,000, of 10.05pc for those with incomes of Rs5,001-12,000 and of 10.06pc for the highest income group.

The FBS also provided a table showing the behaviour of prices of groups of commodities. According to this analysis, the combined impact of price spiral in respect of food group was the most pronounced: 0.71pc over the previous week and 12.39pc over the corresponding period.

This group shows the severest impact on the lowest income group in terms of accessibility: 0.81pc over the previous week and 12.91pc over the corresponding period, as compared to 0.64pc and 12.20pc, respectively, for the highest income group.

The non-food group incurred an increase of 0.04pc over the previous week and of 5.64pc over the corresponding period. While there was no change over the previous week in respect of utility and transport and communications, their aggregated rates showed increases of 1.37pc and 22.29pc, respectively, for all the income groups.

The period under review also saw the highest number of items getting dearer. Thus the prices of as many as 26 items - representing almost half of the 53-item basket of the SPI - shot up, as compared to the previous week.

Noteworthy is the behaviour of the price of wheat flour. Its average price, at the outset of the wheat year, shows an increase of 2.18pc over the previous week and of 27.59pc over the corresponding period.

Potatoes, long a staple of the people of modest incomes, moved up to Rs10.15 per kg from Rs9.95 per kg of the previous week. As compared to corresponding period, this means an increase of 47.10pc.

As regards the remaining 24 items, their prices went up as follows, compared to previous week: Bananas (10.11pc), farm egg (7.26pc), garlic (2.60pc), gur (1.84pc), curd (1.83pc), tea (prepared) (1.25pc), beef (1.09pc), wheat (0.87pc), rice Irri-6 (0.85pc), voile printed (0.80pc), cooked beef (plate) (0.62pc), lawn (0.61pc), red chilies (powdered) (0.58pc), gram pulse washed (0.52pc), milk fresh (0.40pc), firewood (0.36pc), mutton (0.33pc), rice basmati broken (0.31pc), masoor pulse washed (0.28pc), shirting (0.26pc), sugar (0.16pc), vegetable ghee (loose) (0.14pc), vegetable ghee (tin) (0.12pc) and mustard oil (0.05pc).