Tomato prices pushed cost of vegetarian thali up 24% in August: CRISIL

For non-veg thali, the cost was up 13 per cent. It was lower than that of a veg thali owing to a marginal rise in broiler prices

The cost of vegetarian thali in an average Indian household jumped 24 per cent in August as compared to August 2022, ratings agency CRISIL said in its monthly Roti Rice Rate report released on Thursday.

This is the second time that the cost of veg thali rose in 2023-24.

Out of the 24 per cent, 21 per cent can be attributed solely to the price of tomato, which rose 176 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) to Rs 102 kg from Rs 37 per kg last year.

A veg thali comprises roti, vegetables (onion, tomato, and potato), rice, dal, curd, and salad. Its average cost is calculated based on input prices prevailing in north, south, east, and west India.

 

Onion prices rose 8 per cent, chilli 20 per cent and cumin 158 per cent. According to CRISIL, these three components led to a 1 per cent rise in the cost of a veg thali.

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For non-veg thali, the cost was up 13 per cent y-o-y. Its constituents are the same as a veg thali. Just dal is replaced by chicken.

A lower jump in the cost of a non-veg thali can be attributed to a moderate price rise in broilers at 1-3 per cent y-o-y. The broiler price alone constitutes over 50 per cent of the cost of the non-veg thali.

Some respite was provided by a 17 per cent decline in the price of vegetable oil and a 14 per cent fall in the rate of potato.

The cost of both thalis declined marginally month-on-month on a high base. In July, the prices of veg and non-veg thali had risen 28 per cent and 11 per cent respectively. Veg thali cost was down 0.6 per cent as compared to July, and for non-veg thali it fell 0.4 per cent.

CRISIL said that in September, the prices of both the thalis can witness a pullback owing to a fall in tomato prices.

Tomato retail price has halved to Rs 51 per kg as compared to August.

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"Also, the cost of a 14.2 kg LPG cylinder, which was Rs 1,103 in August, has been brought down to Rs 903 per cylinder from September. This will also come as a relief for consumers," the report said.  

Source: CRISIL