Veg-thali turns dearer in September: Crisil report

For the non-veg thali, stable broiler prices on-month amid steady demand helped maintain the cost.

The average cost of preparing a thali at home is calculated based on input prices prevailing in north, south, east and west India. T

The average cost of preparing a thali at home is calculated based on input prices prevailing in north, south, east and west India. (File Photo)

The cost of representative home-cooked vegetarian thali rose by 11 per cent on a year-on-year basis in September 2024, CRISIL MI&A Research said.

However, on-year, the cost of home-cooked non-veg thali declined 2 per cent, Crisil said in a report. The veg thali cost rose to Rs 31.3 from Rs 28.1 a year ago due to increase in the prices of vegetables, which collectively account for 37 per cent of the thali cost. Prices of onion, potato and tomato rose 53 per cent, 50 per cent and 18 per cent on-year, respectively, in September because of lower onion and potato arrivals, while heavy rainfall impacted tomato output in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, it said.

Price of pulses, which account for 9 per cent of the veg thali cost, rose 14 per cent amid drop in production last year, leading to lower opening stock this year, further contributing to the uptick. “An 11 per cent drop in fuel cost – from Rs 903 for a 14.2 kg LPG cylinder in Delhi in September last year to Rs 803 in March this year – prevented further increase in the thali cost,” Crisil said.

Story continues below this ad

For the non-veg thali which was at Rs 59.3, an estimated decline of 13 per cent on-year in broiler prices, which account for 50 per cent of the non-veg thali cost, provided some relief, Crisil said.

On-month, the cost of both veg and non-veg thalis remained stable, it said. Onion prices rose 14 per cent on-month because of tight rabi stock in the market as well as reduction of export duty, fuelling trade. However, a 2 per cent decline in potato prices due to stocks released from the cold storage and 9 per cent fall in tomato prices due to higher arrivals from the southern and western markets prevented further increase in the thali cost, Crisil said.

For the non-veg thali, stable broiler prices on-month amid steady demand helped maintain the cost.

The average cost of preparing a thali at home is calculated based on input prices prevailing in north, south, east and west India. The monthly change reflects the impact on the common man’s expenditure. The data also reveals the ingredients (cereals, pulses, broilers, vegetables, spices, edible oil and cooking gas) driving the change in the cost of the thali.

Story continues below this ad

A veg thali comprises roti, vegetables (onion, tomato, and potato), rice, dal, curd, and salad. For non-veg thali, the constituents remain the same but for dal, which is replaced by chicken.

India’s retail inflation rate, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), was 3.65 per cent in August 2024, higher from 3.54 per cent in July 2024. The RBI’s monetary Policy Committee (MPC) which retained the Repo rate at 6.50 per cent in the August monetary policy, will meet next week to review the policy.