Inflation keeps biting hard as prices of 24 essential items go up
Business
Inflation in Pakistan climbed again for the third straight week, with prices of 24 key household items increasing by up to 33%. The weekly inflation rate rose by 0.49%, and the annual rate reached 4.
KARACHI (Dunya News) – The inflation monster continues to haunt consumers across Pakistan, with prices of 24 essential commodities shooting up during the past week, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
As per the latest weekly report, inflation jumped by 0.49 percent, while on an annual basis, it rose 4.57 percent, marking the third consecutive week of rising prices.
Everyday household items like potatoes, eggs, tomatoes, onions, ghee, and flour saw a notable hike, putting an extra burden on people already struggling to make ends meet.
According to PBS data, potatoes went up by 0.71%, eggs by 2.81%, flour by 1.42%, onions by 8.70%, garlic by 0.85%, vegetable ghee by 0.63%, tomatoes by a whopping 33.20%, and washing soap by 0.08%.
Meanwhile, prices of chicken (6.38%), moong pulse (0.49%), bananas (4.70%), gram pulse (2.20%), broken basmati rice (0.51%), petrol (2.09%), and high-speed diesel (0.55%) dropped slightly, offering a bit of relief to consumers. Prices of 19 items remained unchanged.
The PBS report also breaks down the inflation impact on different income groups. The hardest hit were those earning up to Rs17,732 per month, for whom the inflation rate rose by 1.07%, touching 4.98%.
Read aslso: Tomatoes, rice and sugar prices shoot up as inflation bites
For middle-income groups earning Rs17,733 to Rs44,175 per month, inflation increased between 0.29% and 0.92%, reaching up to 5.57%.
For the upper-income group earning above Rs44,176 per month, inflation showed a 0.29% drop, settling at 3.61%.
