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High Vegetable Prices Push Veg Thali Cost In September, Non-Veg Down On Cheaper Chicken

The estimated cost of a veg thali stood at Rs 31.3 in September, and the cost of the non-veg variant declined to Rs 59.3, as per Crisil's monthly report.

<div class="paragraphs"><p>Despite rising year-on-year, the rates are stable as compared to the preceding month of August.</p><p>A vegetarian thali at Thakkar’s in Mumbai. (File image. Source: NDTV Profit)</p></div>
Despite rising year-on-year, the rates are stable as compared to the preceding month of August.

A vegetarian thali at Thakkar’s in Mumbai. (File image. Source: NDTV Profit)

Higher vegetable prices pushed vegetarian thali cost up by around 11% year-on-year in September, whereas a dip in chicken rates lowered non-vegetarian food plate rate by around 2%, as per the monthly report released by Crisil on Friday.

This took the estimated cost of a veg thali to Rs 31.3 in September, and the cost of the non-veg variant to Rs 59.3, as per the report.

"The veg thali cost rose due to increase in the prices of vegetables, which collectively account for 37% of the thali cost," Crisil said.

Prices of onion, potato and tomato rose 53%, 50% and 18% year-on-year, respectively, in September. This was because of lower onion and potato arrivals, while heavy rainfall impacted tomato output in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, the market analytics firm pointed out.

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Price of pulses, which account for 9% of the veg thali cost, rose 14% amid drop in production last year, leading to lower opening stock this year. This led to a further uptick in the veg thali rate, it added.

The non-veg thali, which costs twice as much as the veg variant, turned cheaper due to an estimated decline of "13% on-year" in broiler chicken prices, according to the report. Broiler chicken accounts for 50% of the thali cost, it said.

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Veg Vs Non-Veg Thali Rates Over Last 17 Months

<div class="paragraphs"><p> Elevated onion, potato, tomato, pulses and rice prices pushed veg thali rates during the first half of 2024. (Source: Crisil)</p></div>

Elevated onion, potato, tomato, pulses and rice prices pushed veg thali rates during the first half of 2024. (Source: Crisil)

Prices Stable Month-On-Month

Despite the variation in rates on year-on-year basis, the veg and non-veg thali rates are the same as compared to the preceding month of August, Crisil said.

The stability in rate comes despite onion prices rising 14% month-on-month. "However, a 2% decline in potato prices due to stocks released from the cold storage and 9% fall in tomato prices due to higher arrivals from the southern and western markets prevented further increase in the thali cost," the report said.

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

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