ISLAMABAD, June 16: Price of 18 essential kitchen items including rice have registered substantial increase during the week ended on June 15, 2007 over the previous week, statistics division said on Saturday.

Among the kitchen items, the price of various varieties of rice, potatoes and pulses witnessed growth for the last few months because of shortage of the commodity in the local market.

However, the edible oil price is steadily on rise for the last many months but government has yet to take any action in this regard.

Official figures released here by Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) showed that price of potatoes increased by 2.40 per cent to Rs14.06 per kg as against Rs13.73; rice basmati broken increased by 2.32 per cent to Rs30.42 per kg during the week under review as against Rs29.73 last week.

The price of rice irri-6 increased by 1.79 per cent to Rs8.53 per cake from Rs8.38, match box 3.95 per cent to Rs0.79 each as against Rs0.76, mustard oil 1.35 per cent to Rs86.31 per kg as against Rs85.16, chicken farm 1.15 per cent to Rs62.52 per kg from Rs61.81; curd 0.84 per cent to Rs33.67 per kg as against Rs33.39, cigarettes 0.75 per cent to Rs8.06 per 10s as against Rs8, milk fresh 0.42 per cent to Rs28.73 per litre as against Rs28.61.

The price of masoor pulse washed increased by 0.36 per cent to Rs47.39 per kg as against Rs47.22, garlic 0.28 per cent to Rs52.85 per kg as against Rs52.70, veg ghee loose 0.24 per cent to Rs87.03 per kg as against Rs86.82 and bread plain mid size by 0.19 per cent to Rs15.53 each as against Rs15.50, moong pulse washed 0.14 per cent to Rs56.29 per kg as against Rs56.21, mutton 0.13 per cent to Rs230.66 per kg as against Rs230.37, wheat 0.08 per cent to Rs11.81 per kg as against Rs11.80 and 0.07 per cent to Rs13.92 per kg as against Rs13.91.

Weekly inflation measured through sensitive price indictor (SPI) rose by 0.05 per cent during the week ending June 15, as compared to the previous week.

The group-wise analysis of the behaviour of prices of 53 essential items prevailing in 17 towns of Pakistan shows that the SPI witnessed a decrease of 0.12 per cent and 0.09 per cent, respectively, for households in the two lower income brackets (up to Rs3,000 and Rs3,001-5,000).