By Irfan Ahmed ISLAMABAD, March 22 (INP-Wealth): The sensitive price indicator (SPI) based inflation for the week ending March 10 witnessed an increase of 16.49% for the combined consumption group compared to the corresponding week of the last year (March 11, 2021), reports INP-WealthPk. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), on a Year-on-Year (YoY) basis, the commodities registering an increase in prices included food items tomatoes (169.79%), garlic (62.44%), mustard oil (56.77%), vegetable ghee (46.83%), cooking oil (46.00%), vegetable ghee 2.5kg (43.69%), pulse masoor (35.73%), beef (25.50%), and non-food items petrol (33.42%), washing soap (38.87%), LPG (74.78%), and Hi-Speed Diesel (23.75%). On the other hand, a major decrease was observed in the prices of chilies powder (36.30%), pulse moong (30.52%), eggs (18.59%), sugar (10.42%), and potatoes (7.32%). According to the PBS, the combined index was at 171.41 points on March 10, 2022 compared to 170.53 points on March 3, 2022, while the index was recorded at 147.14 points on March 11, 2021. During the week, out of 51 items, the prices of 20 (39.21%) items increased, 9 (17.65%) items decreased and 22 (43.14%) items remained stable. Onion was one of the key commodities that increased the weekly inflation, with prices increasing 10.86% on a Week-on-Week (WoW) basis. Meanwhile, compared to the previous week, the SPI for the combined consumption group in the week under review witnessed an increase of 0.52%. Food commodities that saw an increase in prices included onions (10.86%), chicken (8.75%), bananas (4.49%), potatoes (2.38%), mustard oil (2.33%), vegetable ghee (1.96%), powdered milk Nido (0.96%), cooking oil Dalda (0.91%), Tea Lipton Yellow Label (0.70%), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5 kg tin (0.43%), beef with bone (0.40%), pulse gram (0.17%), milk fresh (0.08%), mutton (0.32%), pulse masoor (0.19%), rice basmati broken (0.25%); and non-food items, toilet soap Lifebuoy (1.98%), Sufi washing soap (1.40%), energy saver (1.32%), and georgette (0.64%). On the other hand, a decrease was observed in the prices of tomatoes (15.57%), garlic (3.94%), eggs (1.22%), gur (0.98%), sugar refined (0.73%), pulse mash (0.64%), pulse moong (0.39%), LPG (0.24%), and wheat flour bag 20 kg (0.22%). Alternatively, the prices of 22 items remained stable including rice IRRI, bread plain, curd (Dahi), salt powdered, chilies powder, cooked beef per plate, cooked daal at average hotel, tea prepared ordinary, long cloth 57" Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, shirting, lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, gents sandal Bata, gents’ sponge chappal Bata, ladies sandal Bata, electricity, gas charges up to 3.3719 MMBTU, firewood whole, matchbox, petrol super, Hi-Speed Diesel and telephone call charges. The SPI for the lowest consumption group up to Rs17,732 observed an increase of 0.48% and went up to 178.95 points this week from 178.10 points last week. On a yearly basis, analysis of SPI change across different income segments showed that SPI increased across all quintiles ranging between 13.48% and 17.36%. Yearly inflation for the group with monthly income from Rs29,518 to Rs44,175 (Q4) increased by 15.63%, while the highest income group with monthly income above Rs44,175 recorded an increase of 17.36%. Similarly, weekly inflation for the group with monthly income from Rs22,889 to 29,517 (Q3) increased by 0.55%. In addition, there is a mild price difference between the prices of Utility Store and open market (March 10, 2022). The Utility Stores prices are comparatively lesser than the open market. The Utility Stores Corporation is giving a special subsidy to the consumers on pluses, flour, sugar, rice, and ghee under the government’s relief package. The government has reduced the prices of Utility Stores commodities on a variety of items, including flour 20kg by Rs 209.52, tota basmati rice by Rs18.46 per kg, chana by Rs3.96 per kg, sugar by Rs3.11 per kg, ghee Manpasand by Rs 87.15 per kg, ghee Handi by Rs 101.92 per kg, Super Basmati rice by Rs22.60 per kg, and rice Sella by Rs24.03 per kg. [caption id="attachment_65074" align="aligncenter" width="696"] Source: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics[/caption]