ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s inflation rate stood at 7.7 per cent last month, the lowest since February this year.

On a month-on-month basis, inflation measured through consumer price index (CPI) increased by 0.4pc in September from the previous month, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) said on Wednesday.

Prices of manufactured items are on the rise since June 3 because of increase in the cost of energy and imposition of withholding tax on various products in the latest budget.

The government has kept prices of diesel and petrol unchanged for the past three months (July-September). Inflation during the quarter was 7.52pc. Expert say the decline in petroleum prices may bring down the overall inflation this month.

Core inflation, which is non-food and non-energy inflation, rose to 8.1pc in September 2014 from a year ago. It increased by 0.7pc in September on a month-on-month basis.

Total food inflation was at 7.2pc from a year ago, non-perishable food items witnessed a surge of 4.77pc and perishable items increased 11.95pc in September over last year.

Industrial goods also recorded an increase during the last month.

Food items whose prices rose include: tomatoes 33.88pc, sugar 6.33pc, gur 2.75pc, honey 2.32pc, pulse mash 2.24pc, onions 2.19pc, tea 1.42pc, and eggs 1.21pc.

On the other hand, non-food inflation rose to 8pc in September 2014 from a year ago.

Non-food items whose prices increased include: transport services 8.52pc, household servant 1.63pc, furniture 1.20pc, cleaning and laundry 1.19pc, tailoring 1.14pc, and home textile 1.12pc.

The PBS statistics showed that the inflation measured through sensitive price index was 5.48pc last month. Inflation in the wholesale manufactured products also increased to 4.17pc.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said that prices of imported commodities increased because of valuation of the rupee “in the wake of sit-ins”.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd , 2014