Weekly inflation rises as prices of 19 essential items increase

ISLAMABAD: Inflation in Pakistan continued to rise, with the weekly rate increasing by 0.38 per cent compared to the previous week, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Friday.

On an annual basis, inflation saw a slight increase of 0.32 per cent compared to the same period last year.

The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ending February 27, 2025, revealed that out of 51 essential items, 19 saw price increases, 11 experienced a drop in prices, and 21 remained unchanged.

Key items that saw notable price hikes include tomatoes, with an increase of 11.49 per cent, followed by bananas at 8.32 per cent, eggs at 5.43 per cent, chicken at 4.13 per cent, and potatoes at 2.79 per cent. Other items that became more expensive were onions (up by 2.04 per cent), beef (1.68 per cent), sugar (1.55 per cent), and cigarettes (0.51 per cent).

On the other hand, several items became cheaper during the week. Lipton tea prices fell by 6.62 per cent, bread dropped by 1.67 per cent, and pulse mash saw a decrease of 1.12 per cent. Prices of mustard oil, garlic, LPG, and vegetable ghee also saw minor declines.

On a yearly basis, certain items saw sharp increases in prices. Ladies’ sandals rose by a staggering 75.09 per cent, while pulse moong increased by 28.47 per cent and bananas by 27.78 per cent. Other significant price hikes were observed in pulse gram, powdered milk, beef, and potatoes.

However, prices of some key items dropped considerably over the year. Onion prices decreased by 50.26 per cent, tomatoes fell by 48.14 per cent, and wheat flour was down by 36.99 per cent. Other items with lower prices included chillies powder, electricity charges, pulse mash, and rice basmati broken.

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