ISLAMABAD, Oct 25: The Sensitive Price Index-based inflation slightly increased by 0.33 per cent for the week ending October 24, 2012 as compared to previous week largely driven by surge in food items.

The rising trend in the inflation is mainly driven by acceleration in prices of onion, potatoes, tomatoes, LPG and firewood etc., during the week under review, suggested data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) released on Thursday.

With deterioration in weather condition, the price of firewood and LPG is expected to rise further in the next few weeks.

As a result, out of 53 items, prices of 13 items registered increase while prices of 11 items decreased and prices of 29 items remain unchanged as compared to the previous week.

For the lowest income group up to Rs8,000, the SPI witnessed an increase of 0.44 per cent during the week under review over the previous week.

The highest increase in inflation was recorded in the top income group of Rs35,000 and above as inflation for this group increased 0.33 per cent over the previous week.

However, as compared to the corresponding week of last year, the SPI for the combined group in the week under review witnessed an increase of 5.91 per cent.

The food items which registered substantial increase in their prices were tomatoes 16.07 per cent, onions 2.01 per cent, tea 3.60 per cent, garlic 1.17 per cent, vegetable ghee (loose) 1.18 per cent, potatoes 0.49 per cent, chicken 4.97 per cent, egg 1.54 per cent, gur 0.39 per cent, mash pulse washed 0.09 per cent, wheat 0.01 per cent during the week.

The non-food items price which increased included firewood 1 per cent and LPG 0.86 per cent, respectively.

The items prices of which declined are petrol, bananas, lawn, gram pulse, diesel, wheat flour, kerosene, sugar, moong pulse washed, rice (Irri-6), and red chillies.