By Irfan Ahmed ISLAMABAD, 30 May (INP-WealthPK): Inflation based on the sensitive price index (SPI) witnessed an increase of 16.54% for the week ending May 19, 2022 for the combined consumption group compared to the corresponding week of the last year (May 20, 2021), reports WealthPK. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) data, year-on-year, the commodities registering an increase in prices included food items like tomatoes (171.18%), onions (147.18%), garlic (81.51%), pulse masoor (61.69%), mustard oil (61.05%), cooking oil 5 litre (60.43%), vegetable ghee 2.5kg (59.80%), vegetable ghee 1kg (59.09%), and non-food items like LPG (99.65%), washing soap (39.96%), petrol (37.42%) and diesel (29.63%). On the other hand, a major decrease was observed in the prices of chillies powdered (39.50%), bananas (25.21%), pulse moong (24.40%), potatoes (20.78%), sugar (14.13%) and electricity (11.71%). According to the PBS, the combined index was at 175.08 points on May 19, 2022, compared to 172.63 points on May 12, 2022, while the index was recorded at 150.23 points on May 20, 2021.   During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 33 (64.71%) items increased, 4 (7.84%) items decreased and 14 (27.45%) items remained stable. Chicken was one of the key commodities that increased the weekly inflation, with prices increasing 9.03% on a weekly basis.    Meanwhile, compared to the previous week, the SPI for the combined consumption group in the week under review witnessed an increase of 1.42%.   Food commodities that saw an increase in prices included pulse masoor (6.30%), eggs (4.24%), wheat flour (3.99%), pulse gram (3.86%), rice Basmati broken (3.11%), mustard oil (2.99%), rice Irri-6/9 (2.67%), pulse mash (1.86%), curd (1.68%), onions (1.38%) and milk fresh (1.18%), and non-food items, including energy saver (4.37%) and long cloth (1.97%) with the joint impact of (1.14%) into the overall SPI for the combined group of (1.42%). On the other hand, a decrease was observed in the prices of bananas (2.97%), tomatoes (0.20%), potatoes (0.11%) and gur (raw sugar) (0.07%). Alternatively, prices of 14 items remained stable, including plain bread, salt powdered, chillies powdered, cooked daal at average hotel, gents’ sandal, gents’ sponge chappal, ladies’ sandal, gas charges up to 3.3719MMBTU (metric million British thermal unit), petrol super, matchbox, high-speed diesel, toilet soap and telephone call charges. The SPI for the lowest consumption group earning up to Rs17,732 in monthly salary observed an increase of 1.46% and went up to 184.69 points this week from 182.03 points last week. On a yearly basis, analysis of SPI change across different income segments showed that SPI increased across all quintiles (Qs) ranging between 14.84% and 17.40%.    Yearly inflation for the group with a monthly income from Rs29,518 to Rs44,175 (Q4) increased by 16.89%, while the highest income group with a monthly income above Rs44,175 recorded an increase of 17.40%.   Similarly, weekly inflation for the group with a monthly income from Rs22,889 to 29,517 (Q3) increased by 1.54%.   In addition, there was a mild price difference between the prices of utility stores and the open market (May 19, 2022). The utility stores’ prices were comparatively lesser than the open market as the Utility Stores Corporation is giving a special subsidy to consumers in prices of pulses, flour, sugar, rice and ghee under the government’s relief package. The government has reduced the prices of utility stores commodities on a variety of items, including flour 20kg by Rs625.03, tota basmati rice by Rs23.26 per kg, pulse masoor by Rs35.95, chana by Rs14.13 per kg, sugar by Rs15.20 per kg, different varieties of ghee by Rs135.83 and Rs137.33 per kg, white gram by Rs38.33 per kg, Super Basmati rice by Rs29.49 per kg, and rice Sella by Rs25.27 per kg. [caption id="attachment_67615" align="aligncenter" width="696"] Source: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics[/caption]