ISLAMABAD: Shortterm inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), slowed to 15.34 per cent year-onyear in the week ending Aug 29 due to a decline in the prices of vegetables and pulses, official data showed on Friday.

It fell by 0.62pc weekon-week.

The inflation declined due to a price drop in key vegetables and last year`s high base effect.

According to experts, the government has approved sugar exports, which push up domestic retail prices for consumers. The national average price for sugar is Rs160 per kilogramme.

In March, the decline in SPI came after a consistent 11-week period of inflation above 40pc, which surged from 29pc recorded on Nov 8, 2023.

The weekly inflation hit a record 48.35pc yearon-year in early May 2023, but then decelerated as low as 24.4pc in late Aug 2023 before surging past 40pc during the week ending on Nov 16, 2023.

The items whose prices saw the decline week-onweek included chicken (3.02pc), bananas (2.35pc), chillies powder (1.42pc), wheat flour (0.85pc), pulse masoor (0.68pc), bread (0.56pc), pulse mash (0.53pc) and sugar (0.49pc).

The items whose prices increased the most over the previous week included tomatoes (8.03pc),onions(6.53pc), pulse gram (2.20pc), garlic (1.76pc), potatoes (0.63pc), eggs (0.55pc), LPG (0.51pc), gur and rice basmati broken (0.41pc) each, firewood (0.12pc) and shirting (0.07pc).