Weekly inflation in Pakistan slightly down, chicken and flour expensive – tomatoes and sugar cheaper

The Federal Bureau of Statistics, while releasing the latest weekly inflation report, has said that the overall pace of inflation in the country has seen a slight decrease this week. According to the report, inflation decreased by 0.03 percent on a weekly basis, while the annual inflation rate has come down to 3.90 percent.

The report said that last week, the prices of 12 essential food items increased, 10 items became cheaper, while no change was seen in the prices of 29 items.

According to the data, chicken became more expensive by 6.19 percent and flour by 2.88 percent. Egg prices also increased by 0.93 percent, while prices of ghee, cooking oil and moong dal also showed an upward trend.

On the other hand, an overall decrease was recorded in vegetable prices. Tomatoes became cheaper by 16.18 percent, while sugar prices decreased by 4.91 percent. Similarly, onions became cheaper by 4.08 percent and potatoes by 1.71 percent. The prices of bananas, gram dal, masoor dal and LPG also decreased.

According to economic affairs analyst Salman Ghauri, the slight decrease in inflation is a “temporary relief”. He said that food prices are still under pressure from the global market and local supply and demand. He said, “If the government improves the supply chain of wheat, poultry and edible oil, further reduction in inflation is possible.”