Weekly inflation up in Pakistan as tomato prices surge over 26 per cent

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s weekly inflation saw a slight rise of 0.28 per cent as of October 17, 2024, compared to the previous week, and an annual increase of 15.02 per cent, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) report on Friday.

The PBS monitors short-term inflation using the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), which tracks the prices of essential goods weekly. This helps gauge inflation trends and adjust policies accordingly.

The SPI is based on data from 51 key items collected from 50 markets in 17 cities across Pakistan. During the week under review, prices of 19 items (37.25 per cent) increased, 9 items (17.65 per cent) decreased, while 23 items (45.10 per cent) remained unchanged.

The most significant price hikes were noted in tomatoes (26.24 per cent), pulse moong (9.86 per cent), pulse gram (3.15 per cent), wheat flour (2.10 per cent), and diesel (2.01 per cent). Meanwhile, prices fell for onions (7.02 per cent), bananas (2.83 per cent), gur (1.82 per cent), potatoes (1.15 per cent), and pulse mash (0.72 per cent).

The SPI breakdown by income group showed a uniform rise in inflation across all income levels, with increases between 0.27 per cent and 0.28 per cent.

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