CPI-based inflation remains in single digit at 3.25pc

ISLAMABAD, Apr 2 (APP):The Consumer Price Index (CPI) on year-on-year basis during March 2018 witnessed an increase of 3.25 per cent as compared to the same month of previous year.
On month-on-month basis, the inflation witnessed increase of 0.31 per cent in March 2018 as compared to February 2018, said Director Prices, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) Attiq-ur-Rehman while addressing a press conference here at PBS headquarters.
The CPI inflation during July-March (2017-18) increased 3.78 percent as compared to the first three quarters of the fiscal year 2016-17.
The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) during the month increased by 0.25 percent while the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) witnessed negative growth of 0.60 percent, he said while providing detail data to the media persons.
It is pertinent to mention that PBS collects the retail and the wholesale prices and computes the CPI and WPI on monthly basis while the SPI is calculated on weekly basis.
As per the data about the CPI of group of commodities, the CPI for food and non-alcoholic beverages on year-on-year basis increased by 0.99 per cent in March 2018 as compared to the same month of last year while CPI for non-perishable food items increased to 2.37 per cent.
The CPI for perishable items decreased by 7.17 per cent, alcoholic beverages while that of tobacco decreased by 16.89 percent.
Likewise, the CPI for clothing and footwear increased by 4.84 percent, housing,
water, electricity, gas and other fuels 4.25 per cent, furnishing and household equipment maintenance 4.49 per cent, health 4.76 percent while the CPI for transport increased by6.43 percent.
In addition, the CPI for communication increased by 0.51 per cent, recreation and culture by 1.64 percent, education by 17.60 percent, restaurant and hotel 6.21 percent while the CPI for miscellaneous goods and service increased by 5.850 percent.

On year-on-year basis, the top items which witnessed decrease in prices in March 2018 included tomatoes (54.33%), garlic (40.42%), cigarettes (29.65%), mash pulse (22.08%), sugar(14.91%), potatoes (14.86%), masoor pulse (13.62%), gram pulse (11.86%), moong pulse (11.42%), cement (2.65%) and wheat flour (1.66%).

Meanwhile, the items that witnessed increase in prices during March 2018 compared to March 2017 included, betel nuts (581%), government university fee (37.72%), kerosene oil (30.59%), bus fare (26.12%), petrol (20.64%), diesel (20.06%), private school fee (19.89%), Newspapers (18.76%), car Suzuki (15.72%), iron bar (14.76%), mutton (11.34%) and Toyota cars (11.21%).