By Irfan Ahmed ISLAMABAD, May 11 (INP-Wealth) The sensitive price indicator (SPI) based inflation for the week ending April 21 witnessed an increase of 15.42% for the combined consumption group compared to the corresponding week of last year (April 22), reports 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 onion (101.18%), garlic (80.93%), cooking oil 5 litre (58.14%), vegetable ghee 2.5kg (57.72%), vegetable ghee 1 kg (56.45%), mustard oil (56.29%), tomato (47.41%), pulse Masoor (42.99%), and non-food items LPG (80.45%), washing soap (39.33%), petrol (37.42%) and diesel (29.63%). On the other hand, a major decrease was observed in the prices of chilies powdered (39.50%), pulse Moong (27.20%), potato (25.55%), eggs (13.80%), sugar (9.32%), and electricity charges (4.37%) on a YoY basis. According to the PBS, the combined index was at 171.05 points on April 21, 2022 compared to 173.27 points on April 14, 2022, while the index was recorded at 148.20 points a year ago on April 22, 2021. During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 19 (37.25%) items increased, 10 (19.61%) items decreased and 22 (43.14%) items remained stable. Tomato was one of the key commodities that helped lower the weekly inflation, with prices dropping 44.41% on a Week-on-Week (WoW) basis. Meanwhile, the SPI for the combined consumption group in the week under review witnessed a minor decrease of 1.28% compared to the previous week. The food commodities that saw a decrease in prices included wheat flour (8.16%), banana (2.54%), potato (2.24%), sugar (0.82), garlic (0.77%), pulse Moong (0.51%), gur (0.34%) and non-food items, electricity charges (5.44%) and LPG (0.22%). On the other hand, an increase was observed in the prices of onion (10.24%), chicken (1.82%), salt powdered (1.70%), eggs (1.65%), toilet soap Lifebuoy 115gm (1.34%), pulse Masoor (0.95%), pulse Mash (0.78%), cooked beef at average hotel (0.75%), cooked daal at average hotel (0.69%), mustard oil (0.43%), mutton (0.42%), beef with bone (0.40%), Sufi washing soap (0.36%), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5 kg tin (0.27%), curd (0.24%), tea Lipton (0.23%), tea prepared ordinary (0.20%), milk fresh (0.16%), and lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam (0.12%). Alternatively, the prices of 22 items remained stable including rice Basmati broken, rice IRRI, bread plain, rice Basmati broken, cooking oil Dalda, vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib, pulse gram, chilies powder, long cloth 57" Gul Ahmed/Al Karam, shirting, georgette, gents sandal Bata, gents’ sponge chappal Bata, ladies sandal Bata, gas charges up to 3.3719 MMBTU, matchbox, petrol super, Hi-Speed diesel, and telephone call charges. The SPI for the lowest consumption group up to Rs17,732 per month salary observed a decrease of 1.62% and went down to 179.52 points during the week under review from 182.48 points last week. On a yearly basis, analysis of SPI change across different income segments showed that SPI increased across all quintiles ranging between 12.94% and 16.48%. Yearly inflation for the group with a monthly income from Rs29,518 to Rs44,175 (Q4) increased by 15.35%, while the highest income group with a monthly income above Rs44,175 recorded an increase of 16.48%. Similarly, weekly inflation for the group with a monthly income from Rs22,889 to Rs29,517 (Q3) decreased by 1.43%, and for the group with a monthly income from Rs17,733 to Rs22,888 (Q2) decreased by 1.86%. In addition, there is a mild difference between the prices of Utility Stores Corporation (USC) and the open market (April 21, 2022). The USC prices are comparatively lesser than the open market. The Utility Stores Corporation is giving a special subsidy to the consumers on pulses, flour, sugar, rice, and ghee under the government’s relief package. The government has reduced the prices of commodities available at the utility stores, including 20kg flour by Rs273.50, Tota Basmati rice by 19.11, pulse Masoor by Rs7.03, Chana by Rs4.36 per kg, sugar by Rs15.69 per kg, different varieties of ghee by Rs117.10 and Rs137.33 per kg, white gram Rs12.86 and different varieties of rice by Rs10.34, and Rs29.13 per kg. [caption id="attachment_66958" align="aligncenter" width="696"] Source: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics[/caption]