ISLAMABAD: Short-term inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), rose 12.80 per cent on an annual basis in the week ending Sept 26 owing to an increase in the prices of perishable products.

The SPI-based inflation reversed to a modest increase after a one-week decline. It increased 0.05pc week-on-week, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics on Friday.

The upward trend in short-term inflation is due to a price rise in perishable food products such as tomatoes, onions and pulses, while diesel and petrol rates declined.

Although petrol prices declined marginally in the previous four weeks, this has been offset by an increase in the prices of perishable vegetables.

On an annual basis, the items whose prices increased the most included gas charges for Q1 (570pc), pulse gram (60.21pc), onions (51.72pc), tomatoes (34.34pc), beef (25.61pc), powdered milk (25.41pc), shirting (20.17pc), chicken (17.07pc), cooked daal (15.97pc), salt powder (15.38pc), georgette (13.78pc) and energy saver (12.87pc).

In contrast, the prices of wheat flour dropped 38.12pc, followed by petrol (24.73pc), diesel (24.06pc), chillies powder (20pc), electricity charges for Q1 (13.47pc), sugar (11.18pc), cooking oil 5-litre (10.87pc), rice basmati broken (9.86pc), pulse masoor (9.22pc), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (6.37pc), gur (6.19pc) and LPG (1.91pc).

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2024