The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) recorded a slight increase of 0.71 per cent for the week ending November 3, 2023, compared to the previous week.
According to data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the combined index stood at 279.08 on November 3, 2023, up from 277.11 on October 26, 2023, and significantly higher than the index of 214.88 recorded a year ago on November 3, 2022.
Out of 51 items, the prices of 12 items increased, 14 items decreased, and 25 items remained stable.
The most notable price increases were seen in tomatoes (25.58 per cent), onions (25.25 per cent), chicken (10.79 per cent), potatoes (1.61 per cent), Lipton tea (1.58 per cent), eggs (1.30 per cent), garlic (0.50 per cent), basmati broken rice (0.19 per cent), georgette (0.28 per cent), and firewood (0.05 per cent).
Conversely, significant price decreases were observed in gur (2.66 per cent), bananas (1.78 per cent), 5-litre cooking oil (1.62 per cent), 1 kg vegetable ghee (1.23 per cent), LPG cylinders (1.05 per cent), masoor pulse (0.93 per cent), wheat flour (0.62 per cent), washing soap (0.41 per cent), and mustard oil (0.32 per cent).
The weekly SPI percentage change across different income groups revealed an increase in SPI for all quantiles, ranging from 0.64 per cent to 0.86 per cent.
The latest data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reveals that, for the week ending on October 12, the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) reflected a notable weekly inflation uptick of 0.30 per cent.
During this period, the SPI for this particular category surged to 282.86 points, marking a distinct rise from the preceding week’s 282.00 points.
Among the 51 items tracked, the price dynamics exhibited a balanced distribution, with 17 items experiencing upward price movements, 17 witnessing price declines, and 17 remaining stable throughout the week.
Some of the commodities that observed a decline in prices encompassed sugar (4.47 per cent), pulse gramme (2.75 per cent), bananas (2.47 per cent), pulse moong (2.44 per cent), gur (1.93 per cent), chicken (1.69 per cent), rice irri-6/9 (1.46 per cent), and pulse masoor (1.26 per cent).
Conversely, there was a noticeable surge in the prices of several items during the same week, including tomatoes (6.28 per cent), eggs (3.48 per cent), salt powdered (2.75 per cent), cooked beef (1.06 per cent), garlic (1.04 per cent), tea prepared (0.73 per cent), beef (0.39 per cent), potatoes (0.35 per cent), electricity charges for Q1 (8.59 per cent), energy server (0.55 per cent), shirting (0.47 per cent), and LPG (0.31 per cent).
For a broader perspective, when evaluating these price changes on a year-on-year basis, it becomes evident that certain commodities have shown significant variations.
For instance, tomatoes witnessed a substantial year-on-year decline of 43.53 per cent, while onions experienced a decrease of 16.67 per cent.
Furthermore, pulse gramme recorded a drop of 4.01 per cent, and mustard oil saw a more modest decline of 1.19 per cent. These statistics provide valuable insights into the evolving economic landscape and the relative stability of various consumer goods.
According to data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) has risen by 1.05 per cent to reach a record high of 48.35 per cent year-on-year for the week ending May 4. The SPI for the aforementioned week was recorded at 254.84 points, compared to 252.2 points the previous week.
Of the 51 monitored items, 30 items experienced an increase in average price, while 9 items decreased, and 12 items remained unchanged during the week.
The items that experienced an increase in average prices on a week-on-week (WoW) basis were chicken (8.91 per cent), potatoes (3.99 per cent), powdered milk (3.81 per cent), pulse gram (1.96 per cent), pulse masoor (1.83 per cent), eggs (1.81 per cent), mutton (1.71 per cent), pulse mash (1.58 per cent), cooked daal (1.36 per cent), and bread (1.13 per cent). The non-food items that saw an increase were gents sponge chappal (58.05 per cent), gents sandal (33.36 per cent), ladies sandal (14.31 per cent), and washing soap (1.27 per cent).
On the other hand, a decline was seen in the prices of onions (16.69 per cent), garlic (3.44 per cent), tomatoes (3.41 per cent), diesel (1.70 per cent), mustard oil (0.99 per cent), LPG (0.96 per cent), cooking oil 5 litre (0.40 per cent), and vegetable ghee 2.5kg & 1kg (0.10 per cent each).
The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) has reported that for the week ending on April 6, 2023, the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) based inflation has increased by 0.92 per cent. This rise is mainly due to an increase in the prices of food items such as chicken (15.87 per cent), sugar (13.48 per cent), potatoes (5.11 per cent), bananas (4.95 per cent), wheat flour (3.10 per cent), gur (2.12 per cent), eggs (1.26 per cent), fresh milk (1.24 per cent), and non-food item long cloth (1.95 per cent).
The year-on-year trend indicates an increase of 44.49 per cent, which is primarily due to a surge in the prices of cigarettes (165.88 per cent), wheat flour (131.72 per cent), gas charges for q1 (108.38 per cent), diesel (102.84 per cent), eggs (98.34 per cent), Lipton tea (97.63 per cent), broken basmati rice (84.92 per cent), bananas (82.23 per cent), petrol (81.17 per cent), irri-6/9 rice (80.61 per cent), moong (68.14 per cent), potatoes (65.95 per cent), maash (56.70 per cent), and onions (55.75 per cent). However, a decrease in prices has been observed for tomatoes (50.39 per cent) and powdered chillies (6.48 per cent).
The SPI for the week under review has been recorded at 252.06 points compared to 249.75 points in the previous week, as per the latest data released by PBS on Friday. During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 27 (52.94 per cent) items increased, seven (13.73 per cent) items decreased, and 17 (33.33 per cent) items remained stable.
The average prices of commodities that have increased during the week over the previous week include chicken (15.87 per cent), sugar (13.48 per cent), potatoes (5.11 per cent), bananas (4.95 per cent), wheat flour (3.10 per cent), gur (2.12 per cent), long cloth 57” Gul Ahmed/Al Karam (1.95 per cent), eggs (1.26 per cent), fresh milk (1.24 per cent), irri-6/9 rice (0.80 per cent), shirting (0.75 per cent), beef with bone (0.71 per cent), broken basmati rice (0.69 per cent), curd (0.60 per cent), toilet soap Lifebuoy (0.56 per cent), lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam (0.55 per cent), prepared tea (0.44 per cent), powdered salt (0.39 per cent), Georgette (0.36 per cent), Sufi washing soap (0.31 per cent), mutton (0.18 per cent), moong (0.16 per cent), masoor (0.15 per cent), maash (0.09 per cent), cooked beef (0.04 per cent), cooking oil Dalda or other similar brand (sn), 5 litre tin each (0.04 per cent), and cooked daal (0.02 per cent).
The commodities that have recorded a decrease in their average prices are tomatoes (14.96 per cent), onions (12.66 per cent), LPG (3.73 per cent), pulse gram (1.20 per cent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5 kg tin each (0.71 per cent), garlic (0.16 per cent), and mustard oil (0.03 per cent).
Commodity
Year-on-Year Change
Week-on-Week Change
Cigarettes
165.88 per cent
N/A
Wheat flour
131.72 per cent
3.10 per cent
Gas charges for q1
108.38 per cent
N/A
Diesel
102.84 per cent
N/A
Eggs
98.34 per cent
1.26 per cent
Lipton tea
97.63 per cent
N/A
Broken basmati rice
84.92 per cent
0.69 per cent
Bananas
82.23 per cent
4.95 per cent
Petrol
81.17 per cent
N/A
Irri-6/9 rice
80.61 per cent
0.80 per cent
Moong
68.14 per cent
0.16 per cent
Potatoes
65.95 per cent
5.11 per cent
Maash
56.70 per cent
0.09 per cent
Onions
55.75 per cent
12.66 per cent
Tomatoes
-50.39 per cent
-14.96 per cent
Powdered chillies
-6.48 per cent
N/A
Chicken
N/A
15.87 per cent
Sugar
N/A
13.48 per cent
Gur
N/A
2.12 per cent
Long cloth 57” Gul Ahmed/Al Karam
N/A
1.95 per cent
Fresh milk
N/A
1.24 per cent
Shirting
N/A
0.75 per cent
Beef with bone
N/A
0.71 per cent
Curd
N/A
0.60 per cent
Toilet soap Lifebuoy
N/A
0.56 per cent
Lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam
N/A
0.55 per cent
Prepared tea
N/A
0.44 per cent
Powdered salt
N/A
0.39 per cent
Georgette
N/A
0.36 per cent
Sufi washing soap
N/A
0.31 per cent
Mutton
N/A
0.18 per cent
Masoor
N/A
0.15 per cent
Cooked beef
N/A
0.04 per cent
Cooking oil Dalda or other similar brand (sn), 5 litre tin each
According to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Friday, weekly inflation surged by 1.37 per cent week-on-week and 42.27 per cent year-on-year during the week ended March 9. This marks a 25-week high on an annualized basis, as prices of perishables have started to rise ahead of Ramadan. The surge in the sensitive price indicator (SPI) was attributed to the increase in prices of various commodities, including tomatoes, potatoes, onions, sugar, bananas, cooking oil, wheat flour, vegetable ghee, printed lawn, curd, milk, tea, shirting, broken basmati rice, and powdered salt. Meanwhile, a major decrease was observed in the prices of chicken, garlic, pulse moong, eggs, pulse masoor, LPG, firewood, and pulse gram.
For the week under review, SPI was recorded at 243.87 points, compared to 240.57 points registered last week and 171.41 points recorded during the week ended March 10, 2022. Brokerage Arif Habib Limited noted that this was the highest weekly YoY number since September 8, 2022, when Pakistan recorded a rise of 42.70 per cent YoY on account of an all-time high in the prices of wheat flour following massive flooding across the fertile plains of Punjab and Sindh.
The PBS data attributed the YoY rise in SPI to the jump in the prices of onions, cigarettes, gas charges for Q1, diesel, eggs, rice Irri-6/9, petrol, broken basmati rice, bananas, pulse moong, tea, pulse mash, pulse gram, and bread. Inflation has been rising sharply over the past couple of years, with Pakistanis, particularly those from lower and middle-income groups, struggling to make ends meet.
The sticky inflation numbers, along with the stalled International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, have pushed the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to raise its benchmark interest rate by 300 basis points to a 26-year high. Pakistan is desperately trying to persuade the IMF to disburse critical $1.1 billion funding, but inflation worries have led the central bank to elevate its interest rates by 10 percentage points since January 2022.
Analysts expect that the recent decisions taken by the government to please the IMF for a meagre $1.1 billion bailout tranche could result in massive poverty, while businesspersons have also not ruled out a default despite fiscal tightening. The YoY SPI increased by 39.09 per cent, 40.98 per cent, 41.79 per cent, 42.53 per cent, and 44.14 per cent respectively for the groups spending up to Rs17,732; Rs17,733-22,888; Rs22,889-29,517; Rs29,518-44,175; and above Rs44,175.
According to the latest data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) based inflation for the week ended February 16, 2023, registered an increase of 2.89 per cent. The rise in inflation can be attributed to an increase in the prices of both food and non-food items.
Food Items that saw an increase in prices
The following food items saw a significant increase in prices during the week ended February 16, 2023:
Cooking oil 5 litre (8.65 per cent)
Vegetable ghee 1kg (8.02 per cent)
Bananas (8.01 per cent)
Chicken (7.49 per cent)
Vegetable ghee 2.5 kgs (6.76 per cent)
Non-food items that saw an increase in prices
The following non-food items saw an increase in prices during the week ended February 16, 2023:
Petrol (8.82 per cent)
Diesel (6.49 per cent)
Cigarettes (6.18 per cent)
Year-on-Year Trend
The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 38.42 per cent mainly due to an increase in the prices of the following items:
Onions (433.44 per cent)
Chicken (101.86 per cent)
Diesel (81.36 per cent)
Eggs (81.22 per cent)
Rice irri-6/9 (74.12 per cent)
Rice basmati broken (73.05 per cent)
Petrol (69.87 per cent)
Moong (67.98 per cent)
Bananas (67.68 per cent)
Tea Lipton (63.89 per cent)
Pulse gram (56.93 per cent)
Bread (55.36 per cent)
Maash (53.42 per cent)
LPG (52.68 per cent)
Cigarettes (50.02 per cent)
On the other hand, the prices of tomatoes (65.30 per cent), electricity for q1 (7.50 per cent), and chillies powdered (7.42 per cent) saw a decrease during the same period.
SPI for the week under review
The SPI for the week under review in the above-mentioned group was recorded at 234.77 points against 228.17 points registered in the previous week. Out of 51 items, prices of 34 (66.67 per cent) items increased, 05 (9.80 per cent) items decreased and 12 (23.53 per cent) items remained stable.
SPI for different consumption groups
The SPI for the consumption group up to Rs17,732, Rs17,732-22,888, Rs22,889-29,517, Rs29,518-44,175 and above Rs44,175 consumption group increased by 2.45 per cent, 2.73 per cent, 2.79 per cent, 2.88 per cent, and 2.94 per cent, respectively.
Items that recorded an increase in average prices
The following items recorded an increase in their average prices during the week over previous:
Petrol super (8.82 per cent)
Cooking oil Dalda or other similar brand (sn), 5 litre tin each (8.65 per cent)
Vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1 kg pouch each (8.02 per cent)
Bananas (8.01 per cent)
Chicken (7.49 per cent)
Vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5 kg tin each (6.76 per cent)
The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) based inflation for the week ended December 29, recorded a decline of 0.09 per cent due to a reduction in the prices of food and non-food items, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The year-on-year trend shows an increase of 29.30 per cent owing to an increase in the prices of onions (498.08 per cent), tea lipton (65.41 per cent), diesel (65.05 per cent), chicken (64.20 per cent), petrol (52.19 per cent), salt powdered (51.99 per cent), eggs (49.11 per cent), pulse moong (46.94 per cent), bananas (45.06 per cent), pulse gram (44.42 per cent) and mustard oil (41.64 per cent), while decrease is observed in the prices of chillies powdered (34.18 per cent), electricity for q1 (13.96 per cent) and gur (1.38 per cent).
During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 23 (45.10 per cent) items increased, 07 (13.72 per cent) items decreased and 21 (41.18 per cent) items remained stable.
The SPI for the consumption group up to Rs17,732, Rs17,732-22,888, Rs22,889-29,517 and above Rs44,175 decreased by 0.07 per cent, 0.12 per cent, 0.03 per cent and 0.12 per cent respectively while it increased by 0.02 per cent for the consumption group Rs29,518-44,175.
The items, which recorded an increase in their average prices during the week over previous include eggs (2.86 per cent), rice basmati broken (2.81 per cent), wheat flour bag 20 kg (2.81 per cent), bread plain (2.76 per cent), firewood whole 40 kg (2.49 per cent), LPG (1.61 per cent), energy saver (1.27 per cent), bananas (1.18 per cent), gur (0.99 per cent), garlic (0.90 per cent), pulse masoor (0.80 per cent), mustard oil (0.72 per cent), rice irri-6/9 (0.60 per cent), pulse mash (0.54 per cent), tea prepared (0.45 per cent), sufi washing soap (0.28 per cent), pulse gram (0.26 per cent), onions (0.25 per cent), curd (0.23 per cent), chicken (0.20 per cent), milk fresh (0.15 per cent), pulse moong (0.12 per cent) and beef with bone (0.02 per cent).
The items, which saw a reduction in their average prices included potatoes (8.85 per cent), tomatoes (6.02 per cent), electricity charges (2.44 per cent), vegetable ghee dalda/habib (1.47 per cent), sugar (1.22 per cent), vegetable ghee dalda/habib or other superior quality 1 kg pouch each (0.45 per cent) and cooking oil dalda or other similar brand (sn), 5 litre tin each (0.04 per cent).
After devastating floods ravaged the nation, Pakistani officials made the decision to import onions and tomatoes from Iran and Afghanistan due to the rising prices and imminent food crisis.
The production and supply of vegetables and other crops has been impacted by the recent torrential rains and flooding.
At a meeting presided over by Commerce Minister Naveed Qamar, the Ministry of Commerce made the announcement. The minister also examined the country’s supply of tomatoes and onions.
To address the nationwide demand for these crops, the session voted to facilitate the import of onions and tomatoes from Afghanistan and Iran.
According toThe News, the panellists predicted that there will be a tomato and onion shortage in the nation within the next three months. They also stated that because recent flooding has harmed crops, a shortage and price increase are anticipated.
The News reports that the importation of tomatoes and onions will help to uplift their availability and maintain their pricing.
The Ministry of Commerce would collaborate with the FBR and the Ministry of National Food Security, it was decided at the meeting. The session also resolved to request reductions in taxes and charges from the federal cabinet’s Economic Coordination Committee for imported tomatoes and onions.
Earlier, Qamar had emphasised the importance of taking quick action to make tomatoes and onions available to consumers and to stabilise the skyrocketing costs of these commodities. Due to a lack of supply in the market as a result of recent floods, the price of onions and tomatoes has reached Rs 300 per kg.
Lahore residents are forced to pay high prices for basic food items since a number of store owners refuse to sell basic items at the government-recommended price list.
Those who complain about price violations are asked to shop elsewhere where the items are offered at legal prices.
The price of chicken was recently cut by Rs5 per kg to Rs226 per kg, which is being sold at Rs250–Rs280 per kg. The price of chicken meat was decreased by Rs8 per kg, to Rs339 per kg, while it is being sold at Rs360–Rs600 per kg.
Although cucumber farm prices were reduced by Rs35 and maintained at between Rs35 and Rs37 per kg, they are now being sold for over double that amount. Cucumber is currently available for Rs70-Rs80 in different areas of Lahore.
Local lemon prices increased by Rs10 per kg and were set at Rs180–Rs185 per kg. The price per kg is between Rs220 and Rs240. The price of pumpkin was reduced by Rs85 per kg and set at Rs65–Rs68 per kg. Still, it is priced between Rs80 and Rs100 per kg.
Originally priced at Rs75–Rs80 per kg, tomato A-grade is selling for Rs120–Rs140 per kg.
The sensitive price indicator (SPI) hit an annualised high of 38.63 per cent due to a lack of perishable goods brought on by severe rains, and weekly inflation increased by 0.82 per cent for the seven days ending August 4, 2022.
The base for most cooked meals in the country is an onion and tomato. Onions increased in price from Rs75.41/kg to Rs94.2/kg while tomatoes increased from Rs74.07/kg to Rs82.91/kg.
Data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) indicates that the increase is attributable to the increased price of diesel (109.15 per cent), onions (107.95 per cent), pulse masoor (106.71 per cent), petrol (88.94 per cent), cooking oil 5 litre (74.44 per cent), mustard oil (73.89 per cent), chicken (73.42 per cent), vegetable ghee 1 kg and 2 kg (72.26 and 70.48 per cent), washing soap (62.62 per cent), pulse gramme (59.07 per cent), electricity for Q1 (52.61 per cent), gents sponge slippers (52.21 per cent), pulse maash (46.01 per cent) and garlic (41.16 per cent).
According to The News, consumers are struggling with soaring food and fuel prices. Hi-speed diesel was being sold last August 5 for Rs117.58 per litre, but it is now Rs245.92 per litre.
Various items in the SPI basket are given varying weightages. The goods with the heaviest weights in the bottom quintile are milk (17.5449 per cent), electricity (8.3627 per cent), wheat flour (6.1372 per cent), sugar (5.1148 per cent), firewood (5.0183 per cent), long cloth (4.2221 per cent), and vegetable ghee (3.2833 per cent).
While the cost of firewood and electricity remained consistent, the cost of milk, wheat flour, sugar, long fabric, and vegetable ghee 2.5kg increased. Vegetable ghee 1kg saw a decrease in price.
SPI is made up of 51 necessities that were gathered from 50 markets spread over 17 cities across the nation.
Out of 51 goods, 33 (64.71 per cent) of the prices rose during the week, 4 (7.84 per cent) of the prices fell, and only 14 (27.45 per cent) of the prices kept the same.
The price of onions increased by 24.92 per cent, tomatoes by 11.93 per cent, pulse moong by 5.72 per cent, pulse mash by 5.28 per cent, potatoes by 5.03 per cent, pulse masoor by 4.43 per cent, diesel by 3.78 per cent, pulse gramme by 2.69 per cent, eggs by 2.44 per cent, powdered milk by 1.61 per cent, gur by 1.53 per cent, LPG by 1.49 per cent, salt by 1.46 per cent, and garlic by 1.30 per cent on a WoW basis.
