ISLAMABAD, Oct 14: The wholesale price of commodities increased by 8.21 per cent during the first quarter (July-September) of the current fiscal year, over the same period last year.

Official figures released here by the Federal Bureau of Statistics showed the wholesale price of commodities rose by 8.05 per cent in September, over the same month last year.

The WPI measures changes in average ex-factory and wholesale prices of 425 items grouped into five broad categories. The categories include food items, raw materials, fuel, lighting and lubricants, manufacturing and building materials.

The main commodities which showed an increase in their prices in September 2006 over August 2006 are: vegetables (14.55pc), onion (9.33pc), gram split (9.03pc), oil cake (8.11pc), besan (7.15pc), eggs (3.89pc), gram whole (3.37pc), gur (2.85pc), mustard and rapeseed oil (2.39pc), beans (2.37pc), cooking oil (2.32pc), fruit prepared/preserved (2.25pc), salt (1.57pc), vegetable prepared and preserved (1.46pc), vegetable ghee (1.36pc), tea (1.35pc), masoor (1.34pc), rice (1.32pc) and maida (1.26pc).

The wholesale price of other commodities which increased during the period under review includes: cottonseeds (6.29pc), cotton (3.99pc), mustard and rapeseeds (1.89pc); chemicals (1.21pc); timber (6.89pc) and wires and cables (3.03pc).