Onion, tomato prices surge over 90% in one year

The prices of several essential food and household items have recorded significant changes over the past year, with onions and tomatoes witnessing some of the sharpest increases

ISLAMABAD: The prices of several essential food and household items have recorded significant changes over the past year, with onions and tomatoes witnessing some of the sharpest increases, according to the latest data released by the Bureau of Statistics.

The data showed that onion prices jumped by 132.52% on a year-on-year basis, making the vegetable one of the biggest contributors to the increase in food costs. Tomato prices also surged by 93.21% during the same period, putting additional pressure on household budgets.

Among other essential commodities, the price of flour rose by 62.25% over the year, while LPG became 51.69% more expensive. The prices of diesel and petrol increased by 33.08% and 27.65%, respectively, adding to transportation and household expenditure pressures.

The data further showed that banana prices increased by 17.66% during the year. Mutton became 15.98% more expensive, while beef prices recorded an increase of 13.54%.

However, several food items became cheaper compared with their prices a year earlier. Potato prices declined by around 30%, providing some relief to consumers. Sugar prices fell by 19.10%, while chicken became 17.68% cheaper.

Egg prices also registered a year-on-year decline of 17.41%, while gram prices dropped by more than 13%.

The statistics further revealed that prices of lentils and masoor decreased by 12.29%, while jaggery became around 6% cheaper over the year.