The new year may have arrived but the poverty-stricken masses have yet to find any relief from inflation, which continues to rise. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the inflation level is on the rise in the country. Last week, the prices of 21 essential commodities, including chicken, onion and tomato, recorded an increase. The weekly inflation reached a high level of 44.16% with an increase of 1.36%. According to the weekly inflation data of the bureau of statistics, inflation in the country has remained at a high level of more than 40% for the past nine weeks. Last week, inflation reached 44.16% after an increase of 1.36%. During this time, 21 essential commodities became expensive, while the prices of eight commodities decreased.

The items that registered an increase in price include tomatoes, onions, chicken, eggs, jaggery, daal channa, daal maash and rice. Moreover, the prices of electricity, LPG, matches, energy savers also saw a raise. However, potatoes, ghee, sugar, cooking oil, garlic, daal moong saw a drop in prices. Meanwhile, the prices of 22 items remained stable. On an annual basis, tomato got expensive by 156%, red chilli 82%, garlic 60%, sugar by 57%, and flour by 55%. Rice became expensive by 52%, while the price of cigarettes increased by 93%. Compared to last year, gas charges increased by 1,108%. In one year, onion became cheaper by 6.68% and ghee by 1.67%.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)