Summary: The weekly inflation rate in Pakistan increased by 0.29 percent, after which the annual rate reached 12.31 percent. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, 21 essential commodities became expensive, 10 became cheaper, while the prices of 20 remained unchanged during the week. Significant increases were recorded in the prices of LPG, tomatoes, electricity, petrol and diesel on an annual basis.
Islamabad: Inflationary pressures have once again been recorded in Pakistan, where the Sensitive Price Index (SPI) increased by 0.29 percent during the week ending November 5. As a result, the annual inflation rate increased to 12.31 percent.
According to the weekly report of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the Sensitive Price Index increased from 373.51 points to 374.61 points.
The report said that the prices of 51 basic necessities were reviewed across the country. Of these, 21 items became more expensive, the prices of 10 decreased, while the prices of 20 items remained stable.
On a weekly basis, the price of tomatoes increased the most by 54.18 percent. In addition, LPG became more expensive by 3.72 percent, potatoes by 2.07 percent, eggs by 1.17 percent and garlic by 1.06 percent.
On the other hand, a decrease in the prices of some essential commodities was also recorded. Petrol became cheaper by 4.20 percent and diesel by 2.97 percent, while the prices of lentils, chickpeas, bananas, onions, powdered milk, chicken, sugar and wheat flour also decreased.
On an annual basis, the price of LPG increased by 114.88 percent, which is the highest among the items included in the report. Tomatoes became more expensive by 78.89 percent and the charges of the first slab of electricity by 52.38 percent.
Similarly, the price of diesel increased by 39.27 percent and petrol by 36.34 percent during the year. Wheat flour became more expensive by 33.95 percent while chicken became more expensive by 31.81 percent.
According to the data, some items also became cheaper compared to the previous year. The price of potatoes decreased by 37.24 percent, eggs by 27.59 percent and sugar by 25.03 percent.
The weekly index of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics is composed of prices collected from 50 markets in 17 cities of the country. The latest data shows that despite the weekly decrease in petrol and diesel prices, high prices of some basic food items and domestic fuel are maintaining inflationary pressure.
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