ISLAMABAD, Aug 17: Weekly inflation for the week ended Aug 16, for the lowest income group up to Rs8,000, increased 0.68 per cent as compared to the previous week, according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics data released on Friday.

Increase in food prices made the most inflationary impact as the lowest income group spent more on the purchase of food items, as compared to other income groups.

The weekly inflation measured through the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the combined group increased 0.62 per cent during the week under review over the previous week.

SPI monitors prices of 53 items based on the survey of 17 cities and 53 markets.

Out of these, prices of 12 items increased during the week ended Aug 16, prices of 35 items remained unchanged, while prices of six items declined.

The impact of price increases on various income groups also witnessed variations during the week under review.

The maximum price increase was in lower income groups, compared to the previous week.

The lowest increase in inflation was recorded in the top income group of Rs35,000 and above as inflation for this group increased 0.57 percent over the previous week.

As compared to the corresponding week of last year, the SPI for the combined group in the week under review witnessed an increase of 7.30 percent.

The price of food items which increased are: tomatoes 41.24 per cent, onions 6.94 per cent, potatoes 3.12 per cent, eggs 2.57 per cent, garlic 0.41 per cent, beef 0.28 per cent, milk fresh 0.23 per cent, curd 0.20 per cent, chicken 0.12 per cent, wheat 0.11 per cent, and sugar 0.11 per cent.

In the non-food items, only the price of LPG 11 kg cylinder increased by 0.51 per cent.

A report of the PBS showed that in comparison with the regional countries, Pakistan has the lowest price of wheat, red chillies, rice, sugar, petrol and the second lowest in beef, wheat Flour, chicken farm and eggs while prices of pulses, mutton, potatoes, onions, diesel, tea and urea are higher.