Qudsia Bano

Prices of key vegetables recorded steep year-on-year declines during the week ended January 08, 2026, with tomatoes, potatoes and onions posting some of the largest reductions among essential food items tracked under the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The SPI, which measures short-term price movements of 51 essential commodities collected from 50 markets in 17 urban centres, showed that vegetable prices declined sharply compared to the corresponding week last year, contributing to moderation in food inflation on an annual basis.

According to PBS data, the price of tomatoes recorded the largest year-on-year decline, falling by 57.04% compared to the same week in January 2025. The average price of tomatoes stood at Rs65.09 per kilogram during the reporting week, compared to Rs151.52 per kilogram in the corresponding period last year.

Potatoes also registered a substantial year-on-year decrease of 48.71%, with average prices declining from Rs95.70 per kilogram last year to Rs49.08 per kilogram during the week under review. Similarly, onion prices dropped by 41.33% on an annual basis, falling from Rs134.32 per kilogram in the corresponding week last year to Rs78.80 per kilogram in the current reporting period.

The SPI data shows that these three vegetables were among the major items contributing to year-on-year price declines within the food category. Other food items that also recorded annual decreases included garlic, which declined by 36.07%, and pulse gram, which fell by 30.97% compared to the same week last year.

On a week-on-week basis, PBS data indicates that potatoes and onions also recorded price declines. Potatoes registered a 3.73% decrease during the week, while onion prices declined by 2.20% compared to the previous week ended January 01, 2026. Tomato prices showed a marginal weekly decline of 0.05%.

The SPI executive summary shows that while several food items recorded price increases on a weekly and annual basis, the sharp year-on-year decline in vegetable prices stood out among essential commodities. These declines were recorded across markets surveyed by PBS as part of the weekly price collection process.

Credit: INP-WealthPk