ISLAMABAD, November 24, 2010: Prices of important food and consumer items decreased in the month of October as compared to September 2010. The prices of 22 consumer commodities including onion, rice, milk, apple, gram pulse and tomato, etc. decreased by varying degrees, according to FAFEN Retail Price Monitor released here Wednesday.
The price of 15 consumer items, however, remained unchanged. Nationwide, 22 commodities registered an average decrease of 8% while 30 commodities registered an average increase of 5%.
During October 2010, FAFEN Governance Monitors collected prices of 69 commodities and services at retail outlets in 112 towns of 73 districts in four provinces.
Despite price decrease in some important food commodities, as many as 30 commodities and services registered price increase. However, the average price increase of commodities is relatively lesser than the average price decrease. The commodities that registered a price decrease were of more important nature in terms of their use and vitality in comparison to the commodities registering price increase.
The commodities registering considerable decrease in October included onion, the price of which registered a nationwide decrease of 37% as compared to its price during September. Onion prices registered a monthly increase of 105% in September and 28% in August. The price of basmati rice decreased by 14% while Irri rice and broken basmati rice became cheaper by 7% and 2%, respectively, during the reporting month.
Potato and tomato prices further decreased in October by 10% and 8%, respectively. In meat, chicken broiler price registered a nationwide decrease of 14% while beef and mutton prices were down by 4% and 3%, respectively.
In pulses, the prices of gram and lentil prices decreased by 4% each. In Fruits, banana and apple prices decreased by 18% and 9%, respectively, during October as compared to their prices in September. Milk and yogurt prices also came down by 4% and 5%, respectively. In services, the blood test price decreased by 5%. In fast moving consumer goods, the price of washing powder was documented to be reduced by 3%.
The food commodities whose prices increased during October as compared to their prices during the previous month included green tea (17%), butter and eggs (11% each), mustard oil (5%), gur and white beans (5% each), wheat, vegetable ghee and mash pulse (4% each), gram black and garlic (3% each), vegetable oil, gram white, desi ghee and moong pulse (2% each) and sugar and red chilies (1% each). In the medical services, the prices of pregnancy test (13%), sugar test (6%) and urine test (3%) also increased. In general consumer items, washing soap prices registered an increase of 6%. In fuel the prices of firewood increased by 5% while kerosene oil by 1% during October as compared to September.
About FAFEN:
FAFEN is a network of 30 civil society organizations working to foster democratic accountabilities in Pakistan. It is governed by Trust for Democratic Education and Accountability.
