ISLAMABAD: The Federal Bureau of Statistics reported a decline in inflation during the first week of Ramadan, attributing the decrease to the drop in vegetable prices.
A report released by the bureau indicated that 20 essential goods experienced a reduction in prices, while 13 items, including bananas, sugar, eggs, and meat, saw an increase in costs.
The weekly inflation statistics revealed a 0.09 percent decrease in prices, while the annual inflation rate stood at a recorded negative figure of 0.87 percent.
According to the report, key items such as potatoes, onions, tomatoes, pulses, and both petrol and diesel saw a decline in their prices, while the cost of bananas rose by Rs18 per dozen, sugar by Rs5 per kilogram, and eggs by Rs7.23.
Meat, including both mutton and beef, also became more expensive.
The domestic LPG cylinder price increased by Rs83 over the week. Further, the price of a 20 kg sack of flour rose by up to Rs4.
The report also pointed out the significant drop in the prices of tomatoes by Rs2 and onions by nearly Rs5 , while potatoes fell by Rs2 and pulse prices dropped by Rs4. Diesel prices decreased by 2 per cent, while petrol saw a minor reduction of 0.24 per cent.
When comparing prices on an annual basis, the report revealed that onions had dropped by 65 percent, tomatoes by 57 percent, and wheat flour by 37 per cent. In contrast, bananas had increased by 31 per cent, moong dal by 27 per cent, and powdered milk by 26 per cent.
