ISLAMABAD: Short-term inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), rose 28.54 per cent on an annual basis in the week ending April 18, official data showed on Friday.

It was the lowest year-on-year increase after Sep 14, 2023.

However, it witnessed a 0.79pc week-on-week decl­i­ne despite a spike in petroleum prices.

The weekly inflation hit a record 48.35pc year-on-year in early May 2023, but then decelerated as low as 24.4pc in late Aug 2023 before surging past 40pc during the week ending on Nov 16, 2023.

The items whose prices increased week-on-week incl­uded potatoes (17.­07pc), tomatoes (12.67pc), chicken (11.60pc), lawn printed and shirting (3.55pc) each, garlic (2.88pc), diesel (2.87pc), beef (2.56pc), georgette (1.91pc), pulse mash (1.62pc), cooked beef (1.31pc) and sugar (1.10pc).

The items whose prices decreased the most over the previous week incl­uded wheat flour (8.97pc), bananas (8.67pc), electricity charges for Q1 (7.16pc), eggs (6.67pc), LPG (2.84pc), onion (1.40pc), chillies powder (1.31pc), cooking oil 5 litre (0.45pc), pulse masoor (0.43pc) and vegetable ghee 2.5 Kg (0.34pc).

However, on an annual basis, following items depict a rise included gas charges for Q1 (570pc), onions (155pc), tomatoes (126.94pc), chilies powder (83.62pc), gents sandal (66.71pc), garlic (65.96pc), gents sponge chappal (58.05pc), salt powder (31.87pc), chicken (30.91pc), energy saver (29.83pc), gur (27.99pc) and pulse mash (26.39pc).

In contrast, the prices of bananas dropped 35.20pc, cooking oil 5-litre (20.91pc), vegetable ghee 2.5kg (17.65pc), vegetable ghee 1 Kg (17.61pc), mustard oil (13.83pc), wheat flour (11.05pc), LPG (6.14pc), eggs (4.51pc) and diesel (0.85pc).

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2024