ISLAMABAD, Sept 7: The Sensitive Price Index (SPI) based inflation increased 0.30 per cent for the week ended Sept 6, compared with the previous week, due to a rise in the prices of essential perishable food items and petroleum products, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) said on Friday.

The uptick in inflation was mainly driven by an increase in petroleum products and disruption in supply of perishable products to the market following the recent rains, data published by PBS suggested.

The increase in prices hit the low income group the most, compared with higher income groups.For the lowest income group up to Rs8,000, SPI witnessed an increase of 0.11 per cent during the week under review over the previous week.

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

Out of these, prices of 21 items increased during the week ended Sept 6, prices of 21 items remained unchanged, while prices of 11 items declined.

The highest increase in inflation was recorded in the top income group of Rs35,000 and above as inflation for this group increased 0.49 per cent over the previous week.

As compared to the corresponding week of last year, SPI for the combined group in the week under review witnessed an increase of 7.50 per cent.

In the non-food items, the price of diesel increased by 5.45 per cent, petrol 7.77 per cent, kerosene oil 4.63 per cent, LPG 11 kg cylinder 6.37 per cent, energy savour 14 watts 0.40 per cent, long cloth 0.16 per cent, shirting 0.12 per cent and firewood 0.06 per cent.

The price of food items which increased are: tomatoes 15.81 per cent, potatoes 2.54 per cent, garlic 1.25 per cent, gur 0.79 per cent, wheat 0.79 per cent, georgette 0.77 per cent, wheat flour bag 0.76 per cent, rice basmati broken 0.59 per cent, milk fresh 0.23 per cent, beef 0.22 per cent, rice irri-6 0.08 per cent, mutton 0.08 per cent, and moon pulse washed 0.07 per cent.