Even before the start of Ramazan, prices of essential food items have begun rising in Peshawar, putting additional pressure on household budgets. Rates of vegetables, fruits, pulses and flour have increased noticeably in local markets over the past few days. Traders say prices had declined after the closure of the Pak-Afghan border, but the trend has now reversed. Tomato prices have climbed from Rs100 to Rs110 per kilogram, onions from Rs50 to Rs60, ginger from Rs300 to Rs330, peas from Rs80 to Rs100, and okra from Rs250 to Rs270 per kilogram. Garlic has reached Rs520 per kilogram, up from Rs500. Fruit prices are also soaring. Golden apples are being sold at Rs210 per kg, Iranian apples at Rs390, Kandahari pomegranates at Rs570, and Swat kinnow at Rs360 per kilogram. Flour prices have also increased due to the suspension of supply from Punjab. Read More: Inflation reverses course ahead of Ramazan The price of a 20-kilogram flour bag has reached Rs3,300. Flour dealers have warned that if supply is not restored, the price could rise to Rs4,000 per bag. Shopkeepers attribute the price hike to increased demand ahead of Ramazan, when consumption of food items traditionally rises. According to the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) report released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the SPI for consumers stood at 333.79 points in the week ending February 4, compared to 333.49 points in the previous week and 318.38 points in the same week last year. During the week under review, prices of 13 essential items declined, 26 items remained stable, while 12 items recorded an increase. Prices of wheat flour fell by 2.89%, eggs by 2.86%, masoor dal by 1.26%, liquefied petroleum gas by 0.88%, gur (jaggery) by 0.73%, powdered salt by 0.59%, chana dal by 0.58%, five-litre cooking oil by 0.52%, and IRRI rice by 0.36%. Also Read: Inflation spirals as Ramazan nears On the other hand, prices of tomatoes surged by 12.78%, bananas by 8.16%, onions by 7.27%, garlic by 5.45%, diesel by 4.35%, mash dal by 2.34%, moong dal by 0.35%, mustard oil by 0.30%, and mutton by 0.24%. For the lowest income group earning up to Rs17,732 per month, the SPI declined by 0.13% on a weekly basis. Meanwhile, for income groups earning Rs17,733-22,888, Rs22,889-29,517, Rs29,518-44,175, and above Rs44,175 per month, the SPI increased by 0.11%, 0.08%, 0.08%, and 0.09%, respectively. The SPI is calculated based on price fluctuations of 51 essential items across 50 markets in 17 major cities of the country. The data further shows that on a year-on-year basis, inflation measured through the SPI rose to 4.94% for households earning up to Rs17,732 per month, 5.93% for those earning Rs17,733-22,888, 5.27% for Rs22,889-29,517, 4.76% for Rs29,518-44,175, and 3.94% for households earning above Rs44,176 per month.
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