The floods have once again put additional pressure on the food supply, resulting in higher food inflation

ISLAMABAD: Weekly inflation increased by 16.33 per cent during the week ended on Aug 30, over the corresponding period last year owing to high food and energy prices in the domestic market.

The inflation, measured through the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), was showing a rising trend since past couple of months with pronounced hike in food group inflation, suggested data of statistics division released here on Thursday.

The impact was more visible in prices of pulses, rice, meat, sugar, edible oil and vegetables.

A variety of reasons were cited for the consistent increase in food prices, which includes shortfall in production of some essential items and a significant increase in world prices of palm oil and crude oil during the year 2011-12.

Inflation in the non-food category of SPI appears to be driven by increase in prices of diesel, petrol, gas, CNG and power tariff rates, which translated into higher freight and production costs triggering inflation.

As a result price of 18 items witnessed an increase during the period under review over the last year.

Consequently, the SPI witnessed an increase of 14.24 and 14.11 per cent, respectively, for households in the two lower income brackets of up to Rs3, 000 and Rs3, 001 to Rs5, 000.

For households in the income brackets of Rs5,001 to 12,000, the increase in the SPI was in the range of 20.14 per cent, and for households in the income basket of over Rs12,000 the inflation registered a growth of 21.60 per cent over the same week last year.

Price of tomato rose by 49.81 per cent to Rs47.97 per kg from Rs32.02, onions 19.64 per cent to Rs28.20 per kg from Rs23.57, potatoes by 7.43 per cent to Rs32.69 per kg from Rs30.43 and chicken 3.89 per cent to Rs164.39 per kg from Rs158.23 during the week under review over the same week last year.

Wheat flour price went up by 0.98 per cent to Rs28.87 per kg from Rs28.59, beef by 0.61 per cent to Rs241.69 per kg from Rs240.22, diesel by 0.59 per cent to Rs93.47 per litre against Rs92.9 and sugar by 0.46 per cent to Rs77.14 per kg against Rs76.79.

Red chillies price increased by 0.29 per cent to Rs253.43 per kg from Rs252.69, rice basmati (broken) by 0.27 per cent to Rs253.43 per kg against Rs252.69, gur by 0.26 per cent to Rs89.90 per kg from Rs89.67 and LPG 11-kg cylinder by 0.21 per cent to Rs1419.71 each from Rs1416.76.

The price of mutton was up by 0.18 per cent to Rs459.45 per kg from Rs458.64, mustard oil by 0.14 per cent to Rs171.87 per kg from Rs171.63, bananas by 0.13 per cent to Rs68.49 per dozen from Rs68.40 and vegetable ghee (loose) by 0.05 per cent to Rs166.28 per kg from Rs166.20.

Wheat price was up by 0.04 per cent to Rs25.43 per kg from Rs25.42; and gram pulse (washed) by 0.04 per cent to Rs72.79 per kg from Rs72.76.