By Irfan Ahmed ISLAMABAD, April 08 (INP-WealthPK): The sensitive price index (SPI), a measurement of prices of essential items, witnessed an increase of 16.79% for the combined consumption group during the week ending on March 31 compared to the corresponding week of the last year (April 01, 2021), reports WealthPK. According to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) data, the commodities registering an increase in prices year-on-year included tomatoes (127.45%) garlic (67.75%), mustard oil (58.39%), vegetable ghee 2.5kg (56.47%), vegetable ghee 1kg (55.28%), cooking oil 5 litre (54.81%), onions (42.84%), pulse Masoor (37.84%), and non-food items, including petrol (35.25%), LPG (71.45%), washing soap (39.10%), and diesel (27.00%). On the other hand, a major decrease was observed in prices of chillies powdered (37.44%), pulse Moong (28.24%), eggs (23.79%), sugar (14.09%), potatoes (3.86%), and electricity (0.16%). According to the PBS data, the combined index reached 171.82 points on March 31, 2022 compared to 170.92 points on March 24, 2022, while the index was 147.12 points on April 1, 2021.   During the week under review, out of 51 items, prices of 24 (47.06%) increased, seven (13.73%) decreased and 20 (39.21%) remained stable. Tomato was one of the key commodities that raised the weekly inflation, with its price increasing 41.01% on a week-on-week basis.   Meanwhile, compared to the previous week, the SPI for the combined consumption group in the week under review witnessed an increase of 0.53%. Food commodities that saw an increase in prices included tomatoes (41.01%), onions (22.74%), bananas (4.75%), cooking oil 5 litre (2.07%), Rice Irri-6/9 (1.72%), pulse Masoor (1.11%), potatoes (0.95%), vegetable ghee (0.89%), wheat flour bag (0.74%), cooked Daal at average hotel (0.54%), mutton (0.36%), pulse Mash (0.30%), pulse gram (0.27%), pulse Moong (0.25%), vegetable ghee (0.21%), cooked beef at average hotel (0.13%), beef with bone (0.12%), mustard oil (0.10%), tea prepared ordinary (0.09%), curd (0.07%), milk fresh (0.04%), and non-food items, including lawn printed (0.73%), toilet soap (0.43%), and long cloth 57" (0.41%). On the other hand, a decrease was observed in the prices of chicken (8.93%), eggs (2.11%), garlic (1.49%), gur (1.09%), LPG (0.58%), sugar (0.20%) and rice Basmati broken (0.18%). In addition, the prices of 20 items remained stable, including plain bread, powdered milk, salt powdered, chillies powdered, tea 190 gm, gents sandal, gents’ sponge chappal, ladies sandal, electricity, gas charges up to 3.3719MMBTU, firewood whole, energy savers, washing soap, match box, petrol, diesel and telephone calls.   The SPI for the lowest consumption group up to Rs17,732 per month salary observed an increase of 0.91% and went up to 181.01 points during the week under review from 179.37 points last week. On a yearly basis, analysis of SPI change across different income segments showed that SPI increased across all quintiles ranging between 14.61% and 17.56%. Yearly inflation for the group with monthly income from Rs29,518 to Rs44,175 (Q4) increased by 16.66%, while the highest income group with monthly income above Rs44,175 recorded an increase of 17.56%. Similarly, weekly inflation for the group with monthly income from Rs22,889 to Rs29,517 (Q3) increased by 0.69%. Moreover, there is a mild price difference between the prices of utility stores and the open market (March 31, 2022). The utility stores’ prices are comparatively lower than the open market. The Utility Stores Corporation is giving a special subsidy to the consumers on pluses, flour, sugar, rice, and ghee under the government’s relief package. The government has reduced the prices of the commodities available on utility stores, including flour 20kg by Rs230, pulse Masoor by Rs1.73, chana by Rs3.30 per kg, sugar by Rs1.70 per kg, different varieties of ghee by Rs102 and Rs137 per kg, and different varieties of rice by Rs9, Rs26 and Rs18 per kg.