WEB DESK: The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported that the Sensitive Price Index (SPI) rose by 0.38 per cent for the week ending December 19 2024, primarily due to rising food prices.

Key contributors to the uptick included a staggering 56.66 per cent increase in tomato prices, alongside smaller hikes in firewood (1.57 per cent), vegetable ghee (0.95 per cent), cooking oil (0.79 per cent), and sugar (0.23 per cent).

Yearly change in inflation

Annual inflation rose by 4.64 per cent, a result of sharp increases in essential item prices. The most significant price rise was for tomatoes: 95.54 per cent and ladies’ sandals were also up by 75.09 per cent . Besides being high, most items that rose included pulse gram (56.75 per cent), potatoes (50.81 per cent), and pulse moong (34.88 per cent). Even staples like powdered milk (25.62 per cent) and beef (23.84 per cent) shot up in price.

Items with really big price drops among other things are wheat flour, which fell 36.15 per cent , followed closely by a drop in chili powder (20.00 per cent), onions (13.74 per cent), eggs (12.98 per cent), and pulse masoor (10.64 per cent).

Weekly price analysis

Of the 51 monitored items, 15 items (29.41 per cent) registered increases; 13 items (25.49 per cent), decreased; and 23 items (45.10 per cent) remained stable. The SPI index for the week increased to 324.38 points about the previous week’s 323.14 points.

Influence on consumable groups

The SPI did not have the same impact on the different income groups but still reflected this inflation at the highest level for its lowest households by income: 0.68 per without exception at the highest. Households earning above Rs. 44,175 experienced a modest increase of 0.30 per cent .

Price increasing items

Among the items that became dearer were garlic (1.40 per cent), mustard oil (0.74 per cent), LPG (0.71 per cent), and increased toilet soap (0.33 per cent).

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