April 01, 2007	Sunday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 12, 1428

ISLAMABAD, March 31: Prices of 18 essential kitchen items, including edible oil, registered a substantial increase during the week ended March 30 over the previous week, the statistics division said on Saturday.

Among the products, which recorded a single digit growth during the week under review includes cooking oil, vegetable ghee, milk fresh and chicken. It showed that the government failed to arrest steady increase in edible oil prices during the last many months.

Weekly inflation, measured through sensitive price indictor (SPI), spiralled by 0.37 per cent during the week ending March 31 as compared to the previous week consequent upon further increase in the price of edible oil and foodstuffs.But disaggregated on the basis of economic groups, the SPI index shows an increase over the past one year of 9.36 per cent for households, with incomes up to Rs3, 000 per month, 9.36 per cent for those in the income range of Rs3,001-5,000, and 9.37 per cent for those in the income range of Rs5,001-12,000.

As regards households with income above Rs12, 000, SPI had a bit lesser impact, as evidenced by an increase of only eight per cent.

Official figures released here by the Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) showed that price of chicken increased by 6.77 per cent to Rs78.33 per kg as against Rs73.36; and there was an increase of 5.16 per cent in cooking oil, which stood at Rs424 per 2.5 litre during the week under review as against Rs230.12.

The price of vegetable ghee (tin) increased by 4.29 per cent to Rs240 per 2.5 kg from Rs230.12, garlic 3.46 per cent to Rs67.57 per kg as against Rs65.31 per kg.

Moreover, there was an increase of 1.75 per cent in milk fresh to Rs27.38 per litre as against Rs26.91, vegetable ghee loose 1.25 per cent to Rs73.69 per kg from Rs72.78; red chillies 1.24 per cent to Rs103.16 per kg as against Rs101.90, lawn 0.56 per cent to Rs78.82 per metre as against Rs78.38, mustard oil 0.53 per cent to Rs83.31 per kg as against Rs82.87.

The price of curd increased by 0.44 per cent to Rs31.67 per kg as against Rs31.53, bath soap lifebouy 0.43 per cent to Rs14.12 per cake as against Rs14.06, mutton 0.39 per cent to Rs227.56 per kg as against Rs226.68 and rice irri-6 by 0.37 per cent to Rs19.23 per kg as against Rs19.16.

The price of beef was up by 0.24 per cent to Rs119.26 per kg as against Rs118.97; rice basmati broken 0.23 per cent to Rs25.63 per kg as against Rs25.57; coarse latha 0.17 per cent to Rs35.13 per metre against 35.07; wheat flour 0.14 per cent to Rs14.07 per kg as against Rs14.05 and bananas 0.06 per cent to Rs34.14 per dozen as against Rs34.12.