ISLAMABAD: Short-term inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), eased to 22.32 per cent in the week ending May 9, official data showed on Friday.

However, it witnessed the highest week-on-week fall of 1.39pc since Oct 19, 2023, mainly due to a price drop in wheat flour, rice and a few vegetables, including onions.

The SPI-based inflation slowed due to last year’s large base. Despite deceleration, costs increased throughout the week under review.

The items whose prices declined week-on-week included onions (19.22pc), chicken (18.83pc), wheat flour (4pc), LPG (3.67pc), bananas (2.32pc), garlic (1.44pc), rice basmati broken (0.75pc), mustard oil and sugar (0.48pc) each, and firewood (0.23pc).

The items whose prices increased the most over the previous week included tomatoes (19.24pc), eggs (4.73pc), potatoes (4.38pc), pulse gram (0.91pc), 5-litre cooking oil (0.89pc), beef (0.64pc), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (0.44pc), and fresh milk (0.41pc).

However, on an annual basis, the items whose prices increased the most included gas charges for Q1 (570pc), onions (118.­58pc), tomatoes (101.24pc), garlic (72.38pc), chillies powder (71.96pc), salt powder (32.59pc), energy saver (29.83pc), shirting (29.7­1pc), gents sandal (25.01pc), pulse mash (23.70pc), beef (23.30pc) and tea prepared (20.08pc).

In contrast, the prices of bananas dropped 38.79pc followed by wheat flour (28.21pc), chicken (20.27pc), cooking oil 5-litre (19.74pc), vegetable ghee 2.5 Kg (16.73pc), vegetable ghee 1 kg (16.67pc), mustard oil (13.11pc), LPG (10.52pc), eggs (7.91pc) and diesel (2.04pc).

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2024