KARACHI:
The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended April 17, 2025 recorded a notable decrease of 0.69% compared to the previous week, reflecting the downward trend in prices of several key food items.
The most significant decline was observed in tomatoes, chicken, onions and garlic, alongside reduction in wheat flour, potatoes and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Conversely, a moderate price increase was recorded in textiles and select protein and pulse items, including shirting, lawn (printed fabric), pulse gram and beef-related products.
The 0.69% decline in SPI was primarily driven by a notable reduction in prices of essential food items including tomatoes (22.77%), chicken (11.05%), onions (9.82%), garlic (8.85%), wheat flour (2.37%), potatoes (2.18%), mustard oil (0.95%), LPG (0.89%) and 1kg vegetable ghee (0.68%).
In contrast, certain items registered a rise in prices during the same period. These included shirting (3.68%), lawn (printed fabric) (1.47%), long cloth and georgette (1.33% each), pulse gram (1.03%), cooked beef (0.74%), beef (0.66%), cooked daal (0.56%), mutton (0.48%), pulse moong (0.03%) and a slight increase of 0.02% each in Irri-6/9 rice and fresh milk.
Out of the 51 essential items monitored, prices of 16 items (31.37%) increased, 18 items (35.29%) decreased and 17 items (33.34%) remained unchanged.
On a year-on-year (YoY) basis, the SPI showed a decline of 2.72%. A significant reduction was recorded in prices of onions (73.63%), tomatoes (52.75%), wheat flour (30.14%), garlic (28.94%), potatoes (20.92%), chilli powder (18.94%), branded tea (Lipton) (16.98%), chicken (15.17%), petrol (13.24%), Q1 electricity charges (12.66%) and diesel (10.85%).
However, a notable annual increase was observed in prices of ladies’ sandals (55.62%), pulse moong (27.21%), powdered milk (24.71%), pulse gram (21%), beef (19.06%), sugar (17.14%), 2.5kg vegetable ghee (15.75%), 1kg vegetable ghee (15.43%), cooked daal (13.40%), firewood (10.49%), shirting (10.28%) and lawn (printed fabric) (10.26%).
SPI is compiled on a weekly basis to monitor short-term price fluctuations in essential commodities. It covers 51 items from 50 markets in 17 cities across the country, providing a timely snapshot of the inflationary pressures faced by consumers.
Among income groups, all quintiles saw a WoW decrease, with Q1 and Q2 – representing the lowest income brackets – experiencing the highest decline of 0.80%. Q3 registered a 0.72% decrease, Q4 recorded a 0.73% drop and Q5 – the highest income group – exhibited a relatively smaller decline of 0.64%.
