ISLAMABAD: The annual inflation of the country increased to 4.02 percent in February as compared to same month of the year 2015.
On month-on-month basis, the inflation measured through Consumer Price Index (CPI) fell by 0.25 percent in February as compared to January, 2016, Chief Statistician, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) Asif Bajwa told the newsmen here on Tuesday. He said the main cause of decrease in inflation rate was fall of food items’ prices, as only one important item (sugar 4.33 percent) measured by the PBS witnessed increase during the month as compared to the previous month.
The food items which decreased during the month included chicken (19.58 pc), potatoes (7.55 pc), onion (7.55 pc), tomatoes (7.06 pc), fish (3.08 pc), gram flour (2.84 pc), wheat product (1.54 pc), eggs (1.54 pc), pulse gram (1.5 pc) and pulse moong (1.06 pc). Likewise, prices of the non-food items including water supply, personal equipments, medical tests, household servants, doctor clinic fee, stationary and drugs increased while that of kerosene oil, motor fuel, motor vehicle accessories, woollen ready made garments and transport services decreased.
The average inflation rate for first seven months, July-February (20015-16) over same period of last year also increased by 2.48 percent, Asif Bajwa informed.
Similarly in February, the Sensitive Price Index (SPI) based inflation, decreased by 0.52 percent and Wholesale Price Index (WPI) based inflation also decreased by 0.59 percent. Asif Bajwa said on year on year basis the food items which witnessed increase during February, 2016 as compared to same month of last year included onion, pulse mash, pulse gram, gram flour, tea, cigarettes, gram whole, sugar and betel leaves and nuts. “While the food items that witnessed decrease during the period included tomatoes, potatoes, rice, cooking oil, chicken and vegetable ghee”, he added.
Furthermore the non food items that witness decrease in their prices during the period under review included sewing needles and dry cell, gas, education, tailoring, construction wage rates, household servants, woollen ready made garments and water supply, whereas the prices of kerosene oil and motor vehicle accessories decreased during the period.
He said during the month of February over February, 2015, the trimmed core inflation has been observed as 3.6 percent while it was 4.2 percent during February, 2015 over February, 2014. During the month of February, 2016 over same period of last year, the non-food and non energy core inflation has been observed as 4.5 percent while it was 6.2 percent during February, 2015 over same month of 2014.
