The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) showed a 1.06 per cent decrease in weekly inflation for the combined consumption groups as of May 16.
According to a report from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the SPI for these groups has risen by 21.22 percent over the past year. The SPI measures prices in 17 urban and covers 51 essential items across all expenditure levels.
The SPI decreased by 1.17 per cent for the lowest consumption group, earning Rs 17,732, dropping 299.70 points from 303.24 points the previous week.
During this period, beef prices increased by Rs 10.31 per kilogram, mutton by Rs 19.03 per kilogram, and chicken by Rs 1 per kilogram.
Conversely, the prices of 16 essential items decreased. Tomatoes fell by Rs 26.82 per kilogram, onions by Rs 27.67 per kilogram, and garlic by Rs 46.44 per kilogram. A 20-kilogram bag of wheat flour saw a reduction of Rs 72.54, and pulse gram decreased by Rs 2.59 per kilogram. Prices for 15 essential items remained stable throughout the week.
The PSB report follows a previous update on May 10, stating a 1.39 per cent decline in weekly inflation for the same groups for the week ending on May 9. During that week, the SPI for the combined consumption group was 312.56 points, compared to 316.95 points the week before. Year-over-year, the SPI increased by 22.32 percent.
