Kitchen items’ prices witness 0.65% increase
By Mona Khan

ISLAMABAD—The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended on February 28 for the lowest income group up to Rs 3,000 has registered increase of 0.65 per cent over the previous week. The SPI for the week under review in the above mentioned group was recorded at 175.56 as against 174.42 registered in the previous week, according to Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS). The weekly SPI has been computed with base 2000-2001=100 covering 17 urban centres and 53 essential items for all income groups and combined.
The SPI for the combined group registered increase of 0.35 per cent by rising from 167.06 in the previous week to 167.65 in the week under review. During the week under review average prices of 8 items registered decrease, while that of 24 items increased with the remaining 21 items’ prices unchanged.
The items which recorded decrease in their average prices during the week under review included, tomatoes, egg hen (farm), gur, onions, chicken (farm), potatoes, LPG( 11 kg cylender) and sugar. The items which registered increase in their prices included, vegetable ghee (loose), cooking oil (tin), vegetable ghee (tin), moong pulse (washed), bath soap (Lifebouy), bananas, masoor pulse (washed), mustard oil, curd, milk fresh, rice basmati (broken), wheat flour (average quality), mutton, bread plain (Mid size), washing soap (nylon), tea (prepared), kerosene, gram pulse (washed), rice irri-6, wheat (average quality), red chillies, garlic, mash pulse (washed) and firewood. The items with no change in their average prices during the week under review included, beef, milk powdered (Nido), salt (powdered), tea packet, cooked beef, cooked dal, cigarettes k-2, coarse latha material, lawn material. voil printed material, shirting material, sandal gents (Bata), sandal ladies (Bata), chappal spng (Bata), electricity bulb (60wats), match box, gas charges (up to 3.3719 MMBTU), electricity charges, petrol, diesel, telephone local call.