ISLAMABAD (The Thursday Times) — Prices of essential goods in Pakistan fell 0.46% in the week to November 12, as cheaper petrol and diesel outweighed rises in tomatoes, eggs, and potatoes, but they were still 11.21% higher than a year earlier, official data showed on Friday.
The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics said its Sensitive Price Indicator, which tracks 51 essential items in 50 markets across 17 cities, fell to 372.90 points from 374.61 the previous week.
Petrol posted the biggest weekly drop, 7.42%, followed by diesel at 6.10%, after the government cut fuel prices twice during the week. Onions, bananas, gur, sugar, powdered milk, and two pulses were also slightly cheaper.
Tomatoes went the other way, rising 12.06% in a week. Eggs were up 5.98%, potatoes 2.42%, garlic 1.76%, and chicken 1.32%, with smaller rises in firewood, wheat flour, masoor, beef, and LPG.
Of the 51 items, 19 became more expensive, nine became cheaper, and 23 were unchanged.
Least relief for the poorest
The fall was not shared evenly. For the lowest income group, households earning up to Rs17,732 a month, the index rose 0.03%. For the four higher groups it fell by 0.09%, 0.17%, 0.32%, and 0.68%, with the biggest drop for those earning more than Rs44,175.
Over the year, LPG has risen the most, by 111.35%, followed by tomatoes at 78.94% and first-quarter electricity charges at 52.38%. Wheat flour is 36.14% dearer, diesel 30.77%, petrol 26.23%, and onions 19.67%.
Some staples are cheaper than a year ago. Potatoes are down 36.41%, sugar 24.54%, eggs 23.29%, and salt 12.51%.
The week’s figures do not yet include the third fuel cut in three days, which took petrol to Rs332 a litre and diesel to Rs360 from Friday, so it will show up in next week’s reading.
