Non-Veg Meals Turned Cheaper In April But Veg Thalis Saw A 8% Spike
The findings are part of rating agency Crisil's monthly 'Roti Rice Rate'.
Making a non-vegetarian thali comprising a hearty chicken dish at home was lighter on the pocket than a home-cooked vegetarian thali in April. That's because the soaring prices of onion and tomato pushed up the average cost of a vegetarian thali by nearly 8% in April. However, a decline in broiler prices contributed to a decrease in the cost of a non-vegetarian meal.
The findings are part of rating agency Crisil's monthly 'Roti Rice Rate' report released on Wednesday.
The cost of veg thali, which comprises roti, vegetables (onions, tomatoes and potatoes), rice, dal, curd and salad, increased to Rs 27.4 per plate in April from Rs 25.4 in the year-ago period, and was also marginally higher when compared to Rs 27.3 in March 2024.
The average cost of preparing a thali at home was 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.
Cost of preparing a thali at home
What The Report Says
The cost of a home-cooked vegetarian thali rose 8% in April, while that of a non-vegetarian thali declined 4%, as per CRISIL MI&A Research estimates.
The spike in the cost of a vegetarian meal was mainly due to a surge of 41%, 40% and 38% year-on-year in prices of onion, tomato and potato on a low base of last fiscal.
Lower onion arrivals due to a significant drop in rabi acreage and damage to potato crop in West Bengal led to the price increase.
Amid lower arrivals, prices of rice (accounting for 13% of the vegetarian thali cost) and pulses (9%) increased 14% and 20% year-on-year respectively.
Prices of cumin, chilli and vegetable oil declined 40%, 31% and 10%, respectively, preventing further increase in the thali cost.
Price Of Non-Veg Thali
In the case of non-veg thali, which comprises all the same ingredients but dal gets replaced by chicken, the price declined to Rs 56.3 in April as compared to Rs 58.9 in the year-ago period, but was higher when compared with the March price of Rs 54.9 per thali.
A 12% decline in broiler prices, which has a 50% weightage in the overall price, was the primary reason for the decline in the cost of non-vegetarian thali on a year-on-year basis.
When compared to March, the price of non-vegetarian thali increased by 3% due to an increase in the price of broilers, mainly on account of higher demand and high input costs, the report said.
(With PTI inputs)
