Pakistan Bureau of Statistics releases weekly inflation report The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics has released its weekly inflation report stating that the country’s annual inflation rate has risen to 13.98% compared to 12.16% last week.
According to the report, prices of 19 essential items increased during the week while prices of 9 items decreased and 23 items remained stable. During this period, the price of potatoes increased by 3.13% while bread rose by 0.91% and cooking oil by 0.69%.
Similarly, prices of eggs, mutton, chicken and ghee also increased putting additional pressure on household budgets. On the other hand, some items saw a decline in prices. Tomato prices dropped by 27.65% while onion prices decreased by 9.35%.
In addition, prices of diesel, LPG, flour and sugar also fell providing partial relief to consumers. The Bureau of Statistics noted that on a weekly basis, inflation recorded a 0.33% decrease but the overall trend on an annual basis continues to rise.
Experts say that fluctuations in food prices and energy rates are contributing to the inflationary pressure. Economic analysts believe that if price stability is not achieved, inflation may increase further in the coming months potentially causing serious difficulties for middle- and low-income groups.
They have urged the government to take effective measures to control prices and provide relief to the public. Authorities stated that various policy measures are under consideration to control inflation while fluctuations in global markets and domestic supply chain issues are also affecting the inflation rate.
