ISLAMABAD: Short-term inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), climbed 5.19 per cent year-on-year for the week ending February 19, reflecting higher retail prices of perishable food items and energy products.
The SPI has now recorded increases for 29 straight weeks, highlighting sustained pressure on household finances. Rising vegetable prices, along with higher electricity and petrol rates, have been key drivers of the upward trend. On a week-on-week basis, the index rose 1.16pc, according to official data released on Friday.
The latest spike has been linked largely to increased demand for essential food items during Ramazan, a period traditionally associated with higher consumption and temporary price pressures.
Food and energy costs remain the primary contributors to inflation, with perishable goods particularly vulnerable to supply disruptions and seasonal demand shifts.
A sharp rise in sugar and meat prices has further reversed the easing trend seen in recent weeks. Meat prices, in particular, have steadily increased, compounding the financial strain on families already grappling with elevated living costs.
Weekly inflation had peaked at a record 48.35pc year-on-year in early May 2023 before moderating in subsequent years. However, recent fluctuations in sugar, edible oil, pulses and meat indicate that volatility in essential commodities continues to shape short-term inflation patterns.
During the past week, the largest price increases were recorded in bananas (16.05pc), electricity charges for Q1 (15.41pc), garlic (5.86pc), chicken (5.49pc), onions (3.83pc), tomatoes (3.82pc), diesel (2.69pc), petrol (1.93pc), beef (1.03pc), LPG (0.75pc), mutton (0.69pc) and long cloth (0.28pc).
Meanwhile, prices declined for eggs (11.78pc), potatoes (2.24pc), wheat flour (2.02pc), pulse masoor (1.47pc), sugar (0.96pc), vegetable ghee (2.5kg) (0.72pc), pulse gram (0.58pc), cooking oil (5 litre) (0.19pc), gur (0.16pc), vegetable ghee (1kg) (0.11pc), IRRI-6/9 rice (0.08pc) and mustard oil (0.07pc).
On an annual basis, tomatoes recorded the steepest increase at 85.20pc, followed by wheat flour (31.33pc), gas charges for Q1 (29.85pc), electricity charges for Q1 (17.33pc), bananas (15.83pc), chilli powder (15.20pc), beef (13.28pc), LPG (12.22pc), firewood (11.40pc), powdered milk (9.89pc), shirting (9.11pc), mutton (8.77pc) and gur (8.63pc).
Conversely, prices fell significantly year-on-year for potatoes (45.43pc), garlic (27.51pc), pulse gram (23.30pc), chicken (19.36pc), onions (18.10pc), Lipton tea (13.95pc), salt powder (12.52pc), pulse masoor (12.33pc), eggs (8.54pc), pulse mash (5.08pc), mustard oil (2.13pc), sugar (1.43pc) and pulse moong (1.40pc).
The SPI, which tracks 51 essential items across 50 markets in 17 cities, showed that 17 items rose in price over the previous week, 12 declined and 22 remained unchanged.