ISLAMABAD: Though the POL prices were down in November, yet the inflation rate was recorded at 18-month low during October this year due to unchanged prices of petroleum products from July to September.
The inflation rate, based on consumer price indicator (CPI), was witnessed at 5.8 per cent low in October 2014 as compared to the same month of the last year.
According to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics data, the inflation rate of 5.8pc is lowest in last one and half year, as previously the lowest inflation rate was recorded at 5.1pc in May 2013. As per the data, CPI based inflation was recorded at 7.09pc during July to October this year over the corresponding period of the last fiscal year. The sensitive price indicator (SPI), which gauges weekly inflation in kitchen items, has decreased by 5.14 percent in July-October 2014 as against the same month of last year. Similarly, the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) based inflation increased by 3.44 percent in the period under review. On month-on-month basis, it increased by 0.2 percent in October 2014 as compared previous month and by 2 percent in October 2013.
The food items, which registered increase in their prices include: fresh fruits 3.70pc, dry fruits 1.83pc, mash 1.59pc, tea, betel leaves and nuts 1.07pc, gram 1.02pc. However, food items which witnessed decline included tomatoes 12.12pc, chicken 4.22pc, fresh vegetables 3.33pc, onions 2.47pc, sugar 2.45pc and potatoes 1.51pc.
