Costs of Veg and Non-Veg Thalis go up due to rising ingredient prices

New Delhi: In July, the cost of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian thalis increased, with vegetable thalis rising by 11% and non-vegetarian thalis by 6%, driven by higher ingredient prices, a report revealed on Tuesday.

Contrarily, compared to last year, the cost of a typical home-cooked vegetarian thali dropped by 4% in July, while the non-vegetarian thali saw a decrease of 9%.

According to Crisil's monthly food plate cost index, changes in prices of cereals, pulses, poultry, vegetables, spices, edible oil, and cooking gas influenced thali costs. Notably, the 11% increase in vegetable thali cost was primarily driven by a steep 55% rise in tomato prices, soaring from Rs 42/kg in June to Rs 66/kg in July.

This surge was attributed to adverse weather impacting summer crops in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, compounded by whitefly infestations due to scattered rainfall in May in Karnataka. 

"Cost of the non-veg thali rose at a slower pace compared with the veg thali since the price of broiler, comprising more than 50 per cent of the total, is estimated to have remained stable," the report noted.

Meanwhile, onion prices rose by 20% and potato prices by 16% month-on-month, further contributing to the rise in vegetable thali costs, as per the Crisil report.

On a year-on-year basis, the decline in vegetable thali costs was influenced by a substantial 40% decrease in tomato prices from the high levels of July 2023, impacted by floods affecting supplies from northern states and pest issues in Karnataka.

Conversely, the lower cost of non-vegetarian thalis compared to last year was driven by an estimated 11% drop in broiler prices, influenced by higher prices in fiscal 2024.

Agencies