Short-term inflation dips as tomato, beef prices fall

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s weekly inflation saw a slight dip of 0.15 per cent, compared to the previous week, and dropped by 1.26 per cent from the same period last year, according to a report by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

Out of the 51 essential items monitored during the week, prices of 10 items (19.61 per cent) increased, 10 items (19.61 per cent) decreased, and the remaining 31 items (60.78 per cent) remained unchanged.

Biggest price hikes were recorded in tomatoes (9.62 per cent), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) (1.17 per cent), printed lawn fabric (0.62 per cent), pulse mash (0.56 per cent), gur (0.51 per cent), beef (0.30 per cent), long cloth (0.29 per cent), pulse masoor (0.20 per cent), mustard oil (0.13 per cent), and 2.5 kg vegetable ghee (0.10 per cent).

Conversely, the prices of onions fell by 4.68 per cent, bananas by 4.27 per cent, eggs by 3.87 per cent, garlic by 2.23 per cent, potatoes by 1.47 per cent, chicken by 1.29 per cent, sugar by 0.94 per cent, and pulse gram by 0.67 per cent.

Inflation for the lowest income group saw a weekly decline of 0.21 per cent, while the highest income group experienced a reduction of 0.13 per cent. On an annual basis, inflation rates across different income segments ranged from a decrease of 1.98 per cent to 0.59 per cent.

For the lowest income group, the annual Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) dropped by 1.77 per cent, while the highest income group saw a reduction of 0.59 per cent.

The PBS calculates weekly inflation using the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) to track price fluctuations of essential goods. This data is collected from 50 markets in 17 cities across Pakistan, allowing the bureau to monitor price trends and assess inflation on a short-term basis.

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