February: CPI inflation down 0.34pc month-on-month basis

ISLAMABAD: The Consumer Price Index (CPI) based inflation rate for the month of February 2013 edged down by 0.34 percent over the previous month January 2013, stats released by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) revealed Friday.

On year-on-year basis, the inflation during February 2013 increased by 7.38 percent as compared to the same month of last year.

The average inflation rate during the first eight months (July-February 2012-13) witnessed an increase of 8.16 percent compared to same period during the last fiscal year.

The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) and Sensitive Prices Index (SPI) in February 2013 jumped by 0.34 percent and 0.07 percent against January 2013.

According to the data compiled by PBS, on month-on-month basis, the food items that witnessed increase in the prices during February 2013 over January 2013 included onions (13.67 percent), wheat products (1.72 percent), readymade food (1.37 percent), tea (1.26 percent), mustard oil (1.08 percent), bakery & confectionery (1.06 percent), rice (1.04 percent), nimco (0.69 percent), dry fruits and wheat (0.67 percent each), pulse masoor (0.63 percent), and fish (0.58 percent).

The food items that witnessed decrease in the prices during February 2013 over January 2013 included eggs (28.2 percent), tomatoes (13.19 percent), fresh vegetables (12.89 percent), potatoes (8.47 percent), chicken (4.89 percent), spices (2.73 percent), fresh fruits (2.48 percent), gur (2.1 percent), sugar (2.05 percent), gram whole (1.37 percent), pulse gram (0.97 percent) and vegetable ghee (0.92 percent).

The non-food items that witnessed a rise during the month included transport services (2.25 percent), firewood whole (1.6 percent), cleaning & laundry (1.24 percent), tailoring (1.21 percent), woolen cloth (1.17 percent), washing soaps & detergent (1.04 percent), cotton cloth (0.87 percent), motor vehicles (0.85 percent) and plastic products and stationery (0.87 percent each).


The non-food items that witnessed decrease included motor fuel (0.36 percent) and cosmetics (0.3 percent).

On year-on-year basis, the food items that witnessed increase in prices during February 2013 over February 2013 included pulse gram (43.17 percent), besan (42.66 percent), wheat (22.4 percent), wheat flour (19.84 percent), rice (19.19 percent), cigarettes (18.75 percent), honey (18.65 percent), beans (17.67 percent), potatoes (16.95 percent), wheat products (16.4 percent) and tomatoes (16.08 percent).

On year-on-year basis, the food items that witnessed decrease in prices included onions (25.96 percent), spices (12.1 percent), eggs (11.55 percent), fresh vegetables (11.01 percent), pulse mash (8.26 percent), chicken (5.93 percent), pulse moong (5.21 percent), pulse masoor (3.06 percent), fresh fruits (2.19 percent) and gur (1 percent).

The non-food items that witness increase in prices during the month of February 2013 included text books (40.53 percent), motor vehicle tax (21.7 percent), footwear (20.84 percent), dopatta (19.96 percent), readymade woolen garments (19.07 percent), cleaning & laundry (18.21 percent), doctor (MBBS) clinic fee (17.03 percent), electricity (16.39 percent), readymade garments (15.52 percent) and utensils (15.5 percent).

The items, which witnessed a fall in prices on year-on-year basis
included natural gas, prices of which decreased by 46.08 percent.

During the month of February 2013 over February 2012, the trimmed core inflation was recorded 9.2 percent while it was 10.7 percent during February 2012 over February 2011.

On the other hand, the non-food and non-energy core inflation has been observed as 9.6 percent, while it was 10.6 percent during February 2012 over February 2011.