ISLAMABAD: Short-term inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), rose 5.07pc year-on-year in the week ending Sept 4, driven by soaring retail prices of perishable food items.

SPI inflation has been on an upward trajectory for the past seven weeks, fuelled mainly by sharp increases in the prices of tomatoes, onions, potatoes, rice, chicken, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and wheat flour. On a weekly basis, inflation increased by 1.29pc, according to official data released on Friday.

Tomatoes led the surge, retailing at up to Rs300 per kg in Islamabad, while sugar climbed to Rs195–200 per kg. Meat prices also maintained a steady upward trend in recent weeks.

Although overall short-term inflation appears slower due to last year’s high base, the sharp escalation in perishables and a few key essentials has reversed the stable trend seen earlier this year.

SPI rises for seventh straight week

The SPI had previously declined in March after 11 straight weeks of inflation above 40pc, which began from 29pc on Nov 8, 2023. Weekly inflation hit a record 48.35pc in early May 2023 before easing to 24.4pc in late August, only to surge again past 40pc by mid-November 2023.

Weekly changes: Items showing the highest week-on-week increase included tomatoes (46.03pc), wheat flour (25.41pc), onions (8.57pc), basmati broken rice (2.62pc), garlic (2.04pc), potatoes (1.38pc), moong pulse (1.29pc), bread (1.19pc), LPG (0.88pc) and shirting (0.27pc).

Commodities that declined included bananas (3.86pc), diesel (0.91pc), sugar (0.13pc) and mustard oil (0.10pc).

Annual changes: Year-on-year, tomatoes surged 83.45pc, ladies’ sandals 55.62pc, wheat flour 30.27pc, gas charges for Q1 29.85pc, sugar 27.43pc, gur 13.21pc, beef 13.15pc, moong pulse 12.99pc, firewood 11.47pc, vegetable ghee (2.5kg) 11.36pc and chicken 10.89pc.

Onions, however, dropped 47pc, followed by garlic (25.50pc), mash pulse (22.93pc), potatoes (19.25pc), gram pulse (19.04pc), electricity charges for Q1 (18.12pc), Lipton tea (17.93pc), masoor pulse (6.07pc), IRRI-6/9 rice (4.60pc) and LPG (3.71pc).The SPI, based on 51 essential items collected from 50 markets in 17 cities, showed that prices of 23 items rose, four fell and 24 remained unchanged during the week under review

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2025