ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s short-term inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), rose 4.26 percent year-on-year in the week ending February 12, driven mainly by higher prices for pulses and meat, according to official data released on Friday.
Read More: Weekly inflation declines by 0.59%
The SPI-based inflation has been on an upward trend for 28 consecutive weeks. While perishable products and essential food items remain key drivers, the week-on-week SPI actually declined by 0.59 percent due to falling prices of tomatoes, potatoes, and onions.
Weekly price increases were most notable in bananas (7.62pc), garlic (4.35pc), pulse mash (2.69pc), chili powder (1.68pc), mutton (0.80pc), beef (0.37pc), and mustard oil (0.34pc). Textile items such as shirting (0.31pc), georgette (0.02pc), and lawn printed (0.01pc) also saw minor increases. Cigarettes and vegetable ghee recorded small rises of 0.24pc and 0.08pc respectively.
On the other hand, items showing the largest week-on-week declines included eggs (17.61pc), tomatoes (12.02pc), chicken (6.34pc), onions (2.73pc), and potatoes (2.49pc). Other declining items included salt powder, LPG, wheat flour, and sugar.
On an annual basis, the largest price increases were observed for tomatoes (73.36pc), wheat flour (33.82pc), Q1 gas charges (29.85pc), chili powder (15.20pc), beef (12.70pc), and eggs (11.76pc). Other notable rises included bananas, firewood, LPG, powdered milk, shirting, and gur.
Read More: Weekly inflation witnesses slight increase
Conversely, prices of potatoes fell 44.68pc, garlic 30.78pc, pulse gram 23.81pc, onions 22.04pc, and chicken 20.13pc. Tea, salt, pulse masoor, and petrol also registered annual declines.
Analysts note that the SPI trend underscores continuing volatility in food and essential commodities, highlighting persistent inflationary pressures on households, particularly for staples like pulses, vegetables, and meat, despite week-to-week fluctuations in individual items.