ISLAMABAD, July 19: Sensitive Price Indicator recorded an increase of 0.31 per cent during the week ending July 17, 2003 as compared to the previous week, according to the price data released by the Federal Bureau of Statistics here on Saturday.
This took the SPI to a new height 108.50 with 2000-01 as base year.
When compared to the corresponding period of previous year, the SPI registered an increase of 1.56 per cent.
The hike affected all the four income groups more or less equally. Thus the SPI went up by 0.30pc for the households with monthly incomes up to Rs3,000 as well as those in the income bracket Rs5,001-Rs12,000. It also increased by 0.29pc for the households in the income range Rs3,001-Rs5,000, while those having incomes above Rs12,000 it rose by 0.31pc.
Further analysis of the trade data based on prices of 53 essential items collected in 17 towns of Pakistan shows highest increase in the Commodity Group “Transport & Communications” with the index calculated as 105.46. It rose by 0.63pc over the previous week.
Next group to undergo a sharp increase in SPI was Food. It recorded an increase of 0.38pc, raising the index for this group to 107.03. The non-food group moved up by 0.13pc and, accordingly, its index rose to 111.98. No change in “Utility” is shown in FBS data.
Tomatoes price registered the highest increase of 37.25pc during the period under review as its average price went up to Rs15.88 per kg from Rs11.57. But the effective contribution to increased figures for SPI was made by yet another hike in the prices of petrol and kerosene oil. These became dearer by 1.02pc and 0.28pc, respectively.
Prices of another 14 essential items increased as follows during the period under review as compared to previous week:
Onions (1.23pc), egg (farm) (1.20pc), cooked dal plate (1.11pc), wheat (1.05pc), cooked beef (plate) (0.76pc), shifting (0.52pc), beef (0.50pc), mash pulse washed (0.32pc), mustard oil (0.25pc), mutton (0.21pc), wheat flour average quality (0.20pc), L.P.G. (11-kg cylinder) (0.17pc), milk powdered (Nido) (0.14pc) and curd (0.13pc).
The prices of following 11 items decreased as compared to the previous week:
Garlic (2.14pc), diesel (1.91pc), bananas (1.39pc), chicken farm (0.99pc), red chilies (powdered) (0.75pc), sugar (0.52pc), moong pulse washed (0.41pc), gram pulse washed (0.36pc), potatoes (0.11pc), masoor pulse washed (0.09pc) and lawn (0.07pc).
CEMENT: The period under review saw a further hike of 0.45pc in the price of cement, according to FBS data. The average price derived from the prices that prevailed in 10 cities also exceeded that of corresponding period of previous year by 1.09pc.
The highest price — Rs235 per 50 kg bag — was reported in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, while in Hyderabad it was Rs210 per bag.
FERTILIZER: The price of Urea Sona was shown to have declined by 0.14 per cent, while Urea Kisan became dearer by 0.13 per cent. Prices of four other fertilizers also went up as follows:
Ammonium Sulphate (0.23 per cent), Nitro Phosphate (0.54 per cent), C. Ammonium Nitrate (0.35 per cent) and Sulphate of Pot. (0.27 per cent).
The price of S.SP. Phosphate (GR) fell by 0.17 per cent.