Poor worst hit as inflation goes up by 19.44 per cent

ISLAMABAD - Soaring trends of price hike continued during the current week as inflation for the poorest of the poor increased by 19.44 percent as compared to the previous year.
Official statistics show that for the income group of up to Rs 3000 weekly price indicator - Sensitive Price Index - ballooned by 19.44pc during the week ended on Jan 28 over a year ago.
For the highest income group with monthly income above Rs 12000, the inflation soared by 18.02 percent as compared to the week over a year ago. For second lowest income group of up to Rs 5000, the increase in inflation was 19.42 percent and for the income group of up to Rs 12,000 the growth was 19.13 percent.
The combined SPI (average of all income groups) registered a growth of 18.40 percent on year-on-year basis. It jacked up by 0.15 pc on weekly basis.
According to the official figures released by Federal Bureau of Statistics on week-on-week basis, prices of 20 items edged up and prices of eight products declined, while prices of 25 commodities remained unchanged. The major increase was in prices of chicken, edible oils, tomatoes, rice, flour, red chilies and milk fresh.
Prices of the following goods increased both on yearly and weekly basis. On yearly basis, the goods witnessing growth include sugar at 70.43 percent, moong pulse washed 73.50 percent, gur 58.34 percent, cooked dal plate 10.69 percent, mutton 20.38 percent, mash pulse washed 75.70 percent, tea (prepared) 23.71 percent, bread plain 4.93 percent, cooked beef plate 11.36 percent, shirting 3.78 percent, wheat average quality 10.60 percent, bananas 6.52 percent, beef 21.69 percent and wheat flour 23.12pc.
Prices of the following commodities declined on weekly basis but increased on yearly pattern. The prices of following commodities showed decrease on weekly basis including egg 45.42pc, potatoes 20.23pc, onions 17.54pc, vegetable ghee 14.33pc, chicken 14.47pc, garlic 246 percent, LPG (11 kg cylinder) 26pc and kerosene 12.97pc. On weekly basis no change was witnessed in the rates of following items but increased on yearly basis. Milk fresh prices soared by 15pc, milk powdered 5.88pc, curd 13.72pc, vegetable ghee (tin) 8.06pc, cooking oil (tin) 0.44pc, salt 6.89pc, red chilies 24.02pc and tea packet 23.75pc.