ISLAMABAD: Inflation for the combined income group fell 0.52 per cent for the week ended on Dec 15 as compared to the previous week, due mainly to decline in prices of essential food commodities.
The weekly inflation measured through the sensitive price index (SPI) fell for the second consecutive week after an increase in the past weeks, according to data issued by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics on Friday. SPI monitors prices of 53 items based on a survey of 17 cities and 53 markets.
Prices of 15 items increased and those of 12 items decreased during the period under review. Prices of 26 items remained unchanged.
The impact of prices on various income groups also witnessed variations during the week under review.
For the lowest income group (earning up to Rs8,000 a month), SPI grew 0.6pc over the previous week, while inflation for the top income group (earning Rs35, 000 and above) was up by 0.46pc.
On a year-on-year basis, SPI for the combined group in the week under review witnessed a slight increase of 0.41pc.
The food items whose prices rose included eggs 1.01pc, bananas 0.99pc, sugar 0.81pc, tea 0.71pc, vegetable ghee 0.65pc, cooking oil 0.51pc, garlic 0.34pc, gur 0.05pc, curd 0.05pc and wheat 0.04pc.
In non-food items, the price of match box increased by 1.44pc, cigarettes 0.91pc, soap 0.49pc and firewood 0.05pc during the week under review.
The items whose prices fell included tomatoes 30.50pc, potatoes 12.21pc, pulse mash 2.54pc, chicken farm 1.83pc, pulse masoor 1.56pc, pulse moong 1.50pc, onions 1.11pc, powder milk 0.39pc, rice irri-6 (Punjab and Sindh) 0.21pc; red chilli powder 0.09pc, and pulse gram 0.06pc. The price of an 11-kilogram LPG cylinder dropped by 1.61pc during the week.
