The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics reported an increase in weekly inflation for the fourth consecutive week, with the rate rising by 0.22 per cent, bringing the year-on-year figure to 5.3 per cent.
According to details surfaced, the prices of 20 essential items rose during the past week. The commodities showing an increase included onions, eggs, sugar, garlic, bananas, powdered milk, and beef. The cost of cooking oil, energy savers and firewood also went up.
In contrast, prices of six essential goods fell, including chicken, rice, moong lentils, jaggery, wheat flour and LPG. The bureau said prices of 25 items remained stable over the week.
The report showed that, on an annual basis, tomatoes became 121 per cent dearer, sugar 41 per cent, and flour 18 per cent. Over the same period, gas charges rose by 30 per cent and diesel by nearly 10 per cent.
During the last week, the price of sugar increased by Rs3.77 per kilogram, bringing the average price to Rs188.81. In different cities, sugar was sold between Rs177 and Rs210 per kilogram. The highest price was recorded in Peshawar at Rs210, followed by Rawalpindi and Islamabad at Rs200, Karachi at Rs195, Quetta at Rs190, and Lahore at Rs179 per kilogram.
The price of tomatoes also increased by almost one rupee per kilogram, with the average price exceeding Rs329. Across various cities, tomato prices ranged between Rs320 and Rs400 per kilogram.
Meanwhile, the price of live broiler chicken fell by Rs8 per kilogram, with the average rate recorded at Rs319, and the highest price reaching Rs390 per kilogram.
