Weekly inflation eases as prices of 12 essential items fall

LAHORE: The inflation rate saw a slight drop of 0.35 per cent over the past week, according to the latest data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Friday.

On a year-on-year basis, however, inflation rose by 1.98 per cent.

The weekly report, which tracks the Sensitive Price Index (SPI) for essential commodities, showed that the prices of 12 items fell, while 11 items became more expensive. The prices of 28 items remained unchanged.

Among the notable declines, the price of tomatoes dropped by up to Rs17 per kilogram, while live chicken became cheaper by Rs20 per kilogram. The price of moong dal fell by Rs6 per kilogram, sugar by 71 paisas per kilogram, and the 20-kilogram flour bag saw a reduction of up to Rs11.

In addition, the price of a domestic LPG cylinder fell by Rs42.

On the other hand, the price of eggs rose by over Rs5 per dozen, firewood became costlier by up to Rs14 per 40 kilograms, and garlic saw a slight increase of Rs1 per kilogram.

The PBS releases weekly inflation data to provide a snapshot of price trends for essential items, which directly affect household budgets, especially for low- and middle-income groups.

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