ISLAMABAD, Jan 18: The weekly inflation, measured through the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), increased by 14.46 per cent during the week ending Jan 17, over the corresponding period last year, according to the weekly price data released by the Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) here on Friday.
The surge in the SPI inflation was mainly because of increase in the prices of 24 essential items. The SPI is witnessing an upward trend for the last three weeks consecutively because of poor supply of essential commodities in the market.
The increase in the prices has made an impact on consumers of various categories, but it came very hard on the low income bracket.
The SPI witnessed an increase of 17.97 per cent and 17.49 per cent, respectively, for households in the two lower income brackets of up to Rs3, 000 and Rs3,001-5,000.
For households in income brackets of Rs5,001-12,000, the increase in the SPI was in the range of 15.74 per cent while for households in the income group basket of over Rs12,000, the inflation registered a growth 11.71 per cent over the previous week.As compared to the previous week, the SPI, however, registered a decline of 1.06 per cent for almost all income groups.
Prices of 24 items went up during the period under review as compared to the previous week.
The prices of vegetable ghee increased by 5.26 per cent to Rs113.19 per kg as against Rs107.53; an increase of 2.35 per cent in plain bread, which stood at Rs19.15 each during the week under review as against Rs18.17.
The price of masoor (washed) increased by 2.19 per cent to Rs64.29 per kg from Rs62.91, cooked beef (plate) 2.12 per cent to Rs33.23 as against Rs32.54, 1.67 per cent in Irri-6 rice to Rs25.03 per kg as against Rs24.62, cooking oil 1.66 per cent to Rs296.77 for 2.5 litres from Rs291.91; cooked daal plate 1.60 per cent to Rs20.27 as against Rs19.95, vegetable ghee tin 1.47 per cent to Rs296.19 per 2.5 kg as against Rs291.91, firewood 1.29 per cent to Rs230.56 per 40 kg as against Rs227.62.
The broken rice basmati increased by 1.23 per cent to Rs34.55 per kg as against Rs34.13, banana 0.86 per cent to Rs31.68 per dozen as against Rs31.41, bath soap 0.71 per cent to Rs17.12 per cake as against Rs17, gram pulse (washed) by 0.59 per cent to Rs41.22 per kg as against Rs40.98, bulb 0.47 per cent to Rs12.94 as against Rs12.88, LPG cylinder 0.45 per cent to Rs875.84 per 11.5 kg as against Rs871.93, red chillies 0.43 per cent to Rs137.03 per kg as against Rs136.44, printed voil 0.39 per cent to Rs38.92 per metre as against Rs38.77, curd 0.38 per cent to Rs34.63 per kg as against Rs29.55, fresh milk 0.27 per cent to Rs29.63 per kg as against Rs29.55, mash pulse washed 0.20 per cent to Rs70.57 per kg against Rs70.43 and beef 0.14 per cent to Rs122.59 per kg as against Rs122.42.