ISLAMABAD, June 28: The Federal Bureau of Statistics here on Saturday reported zero increase/decrease in Sensitive Price Indicator for the week ending June 26 as compared to the previous week.
In fact, it is a play of statistics in which impact of increase in prices of 12 essential items was almost cancelled by 11 other items, which showed reduction in prices during the period under review.
Thus while the aggregate rise in prices of some necessities was indexed as 0.1530, the index for decline in the cost of other items was calculated as minus 0.1535.
There was, however, no change in the prices of 30 items, including wheat, petrol, diesel and kerosene oil. Similarly, there was no let-up in the cost of telephone service in spite of the declining trend elsewhere in the world. Like electricity, telecommunications and road transport carry the highest cost as compared to other countries at similar stage of economic under- development.
Egg (farm) and potatoes topped among the items that became dearer during the period under review. According to the FBS data collected from 17 cities of Pakistan in respect of 53 essential items, the rates of eggs and potatoes rose 4.77pc and 3.01pc, respectively.
Intriguing, however, is the persistent increase in the rates of wheat flour. During the period under review, its rate averaged Rs9.99 per kg, up 0.30pc from previous week when the new wheat crop is already in the market. Market observers wondered whether the increase in flour price was due to increased smuggling to Afghanistan.
The following items became dearer during the period under review as compared to previous week: Cooked beef (plate) (0.82pc), rice Irri-6 (0.49pc), cooked dal (plate) (0.37pc), mustard oil (0.30pc), rice basmati broken and milk fresh (0.21pc each), curd (0.13pc), beef (0.07pc) and vegetable ghee (loose) (0.02pc).
The relief in the high cost of living was attributable almost wholly to the ample availability of summer vegetables.
The items, which registered decline in prices were as follows: Tomatoes (-7.20pc), onions (-2.33pc), garlic (-2.14pc), bananas (-2.09pc), chicken farm (-1.28pc), gram pulse washed (-0.90pc), red chillies (powdered) (-0.72pc), sugar (-0.62pc), LPG (11 KG cylinder) (-0.37pc), mash pulse washed (-0.26pc) and moong pulse washed (-0.21pc).
The overall SPI index stood at the same level — 107.41 — as during the previous week. This was not, however, the case for the households with the lowest monthly income of Rs3,000. In their case, the SPI rose by 0.03pc.
Similarly, it also impacted adversely the lowest middle income households with incomes between Rs3,001-5,000. The increase in SPI in their case was recorded as 0.01pc. The households in the income bracket Rs5,001-12,000 experienced no change, while the affluent households with incomes above Rs12,000 were the only ones who benefited from the decline in prices of the kinds of items that are generally consumed by people in that income group.
CEMENT: : The FBS data show average price of cement as Rs226.06 per bag — the same as during the previous week. Out of 10 cities included in the FBS data for collection of cement of prices, Islamabad and Rawalpindi were the cities where the consumers had to pay the highest cost — Rs232.50 per bag — during the previous week. The lowest price — Rs215 — prevailed in Hyderabad.
FERTILIZER: Urea Sona, Nitro Phosphate and C. Ammonium Nitrate became dearer, respectively, by 0.10pc, 0.18pc and 1.25pc.