Basmati rice prices drop in Pakistan

In Pakistan, the prices of essential commodities have shown a mixed trend recently. Basmati rice and dal masoor prices declined on a weekly basis, while onions, tomatoes, and potatoes became more expensive.

According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics’ weekly report on the Sensitive Price Index (SPI) for the week ending June 20, 5 essential items saw price decreases, and 21 remained stable.

However, prices increased for 25 commodities during the same period. Petrol prices dropped by 3.76%, diesel by 0.84%, basmati rice and dal masoor by 0.08%, and chicken by 0.05%.

Conversely, tomato prices surged by 65.84%, potatoes by 5.61%, onions by 3.78%, bananas by 3.29%, and LPG by 2.44%. Other increases included cigarettes by 1.67%, lentils by 1.53%, garlic by 1.29%, fresh milk by 0.95%, and eggs by 0.83%.

The SPI, which tracks price changes in 51 essential items across 50 markets in 17 major cities, reported an overall 0.94% increase in prices on a weekly basis and a 23.78% increase compared to the previous year.

These fluctuations impact consumers across different income brackets, with the lowest income group experiencing a 1.58% increase in the SPI.

Tags: Pakistan, dal masoor, lentils, prices, Basmati rice