Weekly inflation rises to 12.8pc

Islamabad: Short-term inflation rose to 12.80 percent on an annual basis during the week ended September 26.

According to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, short-term inflation as measured by the Sensitive Price Index (SPI) rose marginally after a week of decline, up 0.05 percent weekly.

The weekly inflation trend was driven by a rise in prices of perishable goods, including tomatoes, onions and pulses, while diesel and petrol prices fell.

Although prices of petroleum products have declined marginally over the past four weeks. The impact has been offset by the rise in vegetable prices.

Among the commodities that saw the highest increase in prices on a year-on-year basis were gas charges for the first quarter 570 percent, gram dal 60.21 percent, onion 51.72 percent, tomato 34.34 percent, beef 25.61 percent, dry milk 25.41, shirting 20.17 percent, chicken meat 17.07 percent, cooked beans 15.97 percent, salt 15.38 percent and energy saver 12.87 percent.

In contrast, wheat flour prices fell by 38.12 percent, petrol 24.73 percent, diesel 24.06 percent, ground pepper 20 percent, electricity charges for the first quarter 13.47 percent, sugar 11.18 percent, edible oil 5liters 10.87 percent, basmati rice broken 9.86 percent, lentils 9.22 percent, vegetable ghee 2.5kg 6.37 percent, jaggery 6.19 percent and LPG 1.91 percent.