ISLAMABAD, Aug 15 (APP): The weekly inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), witnessed an increase of 0.31 percent for the combined consumption groups during the week ended on August 13, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported on Friday.

The SPI for the week under review in the above-mentioned group was recorded at 329.15 points as compared to 328.12 points during the past week, according to the PBS data.

As compared to the corresponding week of last year, the SPI for the combined consumption group in the week under review witnessed an increase of 2.21 per cent.

The weekly SPI with the base year 2015-16 =100 covers 17 urban centres and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups.

The SPI for the lowest consumption group of up to Rs 17,732 witnessed an increase of 0.31 per cent by going up to 317.94 from last week’s 316.97 points.

The SPI for consumption groups of Rs 17,733 to 22,888, Rs 22,889-29,517; Rs 29,518-44,175 and above Rs 44,175, increased by 0.33 percent, 0.31 percent,0.33 percent and 0.31 percent respectively.

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 17 (33.33 percent) items increased, 09 (17.65 percent) items decreased and 25 (49.02 percent) items remained stable.

The items, which recorded major increase in their average prices on a week-on-week basis included tomatoes (12.62 percent), chicken (4.68 percent), eggs (2.11 percent), onions (1.98 percent), garlic (1.60%), wheat flour (1.44 percent), gur (1.04 percent), pulse mash (0.52 percent) and firewood (0.17 percent).

The commodities which recorded major decrease in their average prices on a week-on-week basis included bananas (2.52 percent), potatoes (1.65 percent), pulse gram (0.84 percent), pulse moong (0.73 percent), LPG (0.36 percent), pulse masoor (0.29 percent), vegetable ghee 1 kg (0.10 percent), salt powdered (0.06 percent) and rice irri-6/9 (0.04 percent).

On year-on-year basis, the commodities that witnessed decrease in prices included
bananas (2.52 percent), potatoes (1.65 percent), pulse gram (0.84 percent), pulse moong (0.73 percent), lpg (0.36 percent), pulse masoor (0.29 percent), vegetable ghee 1 kg (0.10 percent), salt powdered (0.06 percent) and rice irri-6/9 (0.04 percent).

The commodities which recorded a increase in their average prices on year-on-year basis included onions (52.10 percent), tomatoes (34.33 percent), garlic (26.7 percent), pulse mash (22.62 percent), wheat flour (19.41 percent), packet (17.93 percent), potatoes (17.80 percent), pulse gram (10.88 percent), electricity charges for q1 (10.02 percent) and LPG (5.16 percent).