Pakistan sees highest inflation in the world during 2020: State Bank of Pakistan

PTI, Jun 7, 2020, 2:57 PM IST

Islamabad: Pakistan witnessed the highest inflation in the world in the fiscal year 2020 with the country recording a 12-year high at 14.6 per cent in the month of January, forcing policymakers to increase the interest rate, the country’s central bank said on Sunday.

According to the Inflation Monitor for April issued by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the country witnessed the highest inflation not only in comparison with the developed economies but also with emerging economies, the Dawn News reported.

The SBP pushed up interest rates to cool down the inflationary pressure during the fiscal year but high rates proved counterproductive as they further increased inflation while the private sector stopped borrowing costly money hampering industrial growth and services.

The month of January witnessed 12-year high inflation at 14.6 per cent. In response to the rising prices, the SBP rose the interest rates to 13.25 per cent.

However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the entire economic scenario was turned upside down as demand contraction lowered inflation, forcing the SBP to cut down interest rates to 5.25 per cent within just three months, the daily reported.

The rate cut announcement came as inflation slowed down, falling to 8.2 per cent in May, much lower than the SBP projections for the month.

Detailed graphs accompanying the SBP’s Inflation Monitor show Pakistan’s inflation, when compared to developing economies like China, Thailand, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, has fallen since the pandemic.

The July-May inflation for the current fiscal year slipped below to the State Bank’s earlier projection of 11 per cent to 10.94 per cent. The number is expected to drop further in June.

The government has slashed petroleum prices thrice during the two months, which drastically reduced the cost of production, transportation, and finally reduced inflation. Trade and industrial sectors, while demanding cuts to interest rate, also believe the economy needs an additional injection of Rs 3-4 trillion for a full recovery.

However, with a sharp economic slowdown, the revenue collection has also fallen short of target this year, making further liquidity injection on such a large scale impossible for the government.

The SBP has provided relief amounting to hundreds of billions in the form of principal payments deferrals, debts rescheduling, and lending on easier terms for the industrial sector to avoid massive layoffs, according to the paper.