By Irfan Ahmed ISLAMABAD, April 21 (INP-WealthPK): The sensitive price index (SPI), a measurement of what consumers pay for essential items, witnessed an increase of 16.44% for the combined consumption group during the week ending on April 14, 2022, compared to the corresponding week of last year (April 15, 2021), reports WealthPK, quoting Pakistan Bureau of Statistics data.   According to the data, the commodities registering an increase in prices year-on-year included food items like tomatoes (85.04%), garlic (77%), onions (67.68%), cooking oil 5 litre (58.14%), vegetable ghee 2.5kg (57.31%), mustard oil (56.76%), vegetable ghee 1kg (56.45%), pulse masoor (42.51%), and non-food items, including LPG (79.12%), washing soap (38.83%), petrol (35.25%) and diesel (27%). On the other hand, a major decrease was observed in the prices of chillies powdered (39.50%), pulse moong (26.95%), potatoes (22.36%), eggs (20.13%) and sugar (11.02%). According to the PBS data, the combined index was at 173.27 points on April 14, 2022, compared to 174.45 points on April 07, 2022, while the index was recorded at 148.80 points on April 15, 2021. During the week under review, out of 51 items, prices of 17 (33.33%) items increased, 10 (19.61%) items decreased and 24 (47.06%) items remained stable. Tomato was one of the key commodities that decreased the weekly inflation, with its price going down by 34.14% on a weekly basis. Meanwhile, compared to the previous week, the SPI for the combined consumption group in the week under review witnessed a decrease of 0.68%. Food commodities that saw a decrease in prices included onions (8.46%), potatoes (3.73%), garlic (3.68%), bananas (2.61%), mustard oil (0.34%), wheat flour (0.33%) and sugar (0.25%); non-food items, including LPG (1.25%) and firewood (0.80%). On the other hand, an increase was observed in the prices of eggs (2.12%), pulse masoor (1.15%), mutton (0.95%), chicken (0.63%), cooking oil 5-litre tin (0.57%), rice basmati broken (0.51%), beef with bone (0.50%), lawn printed (0.46%), pulse gram (0.31%), pulse maash (0.27%), milk fresh (0.24%), curd (0.19%), tea (0.12%), pulse moong (0.07%), cooked beef (0.04%) and powdered milk (0.02%). Alternatively, the prices of 24 items remained stable, including rice IRRI, bread plain, vegetable ghee 2.5kg tin, gur (average quality), salt powdered, chillies powder, tea, cooked daal at average hotel, long cloth 57", shirting, georgette, gents sandal, gents’ sponge chappal, ladies sandal, electricity, gas charges up to 3.3719MMBTU, matchbox, petrol Super, Hi-Speed Diesel, toilet soap and telephone call charges. The SPI for the lowest consumption group up to Rs17,732 per month salary observed a decrease of 1.01% and went down to 182.48 points during the week under review from 184.35 points last week. On a yearly basis, analysis of SPI change across different income segments showed that SPI increased across all quintiles ranging between 14.33% and 17.15%. Yearly inflation for the group with a monthly income from Rs29,518 to Rs44,175 (Q4) increased by 16.25%, while the highest income group with a monthly income above Rs44,175 recorded an increase of 17.15%. Similarly, weekly inflation for the group with a monthly income from Rs22,889 to Rs29,517 (Q3) decreased by 0.80%, and a monthly income from Rs17,733 to Rs22,888 (Q2) decreased by 0.95%. In addition, there is a mild price difference between the prices of utility stores and the open market (April 14, 2022). The utility stores’ prices are comparatively lesser than the open market. The Utility Stores Corporation is giving a special subsidy to consumers on pluses, flour, sugar, rice, and ghee under the government’s relief package. The government has reduced the prices of the commodities available in utility stores, including 20kg flour by Rs218.89, Tota Basmati rice by 19.11, pulse masoor by Rs4.94, Chana by Rs4.36 per kg, sugar by Rs1.40 per kg, different varieties of ghee by Rs117.10, and Rs137.33 per kg, and different varieties of rice by Rs5.25, Rs9.59 and Rs27.59 per kg. [caption id="attachment_66273" align="aligncenter" width="696"] Source: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics[/caption]