Crisil has released its latest report on food inflation in India which has stated that home-cooked vegetarian thali price has declined while non-veg thali has increased in February on YoY basis.
In a relief for the households, the cost of a home-cooked vegetarian thali declined by 1 per cent year-on-year (YoY) in February, as per the Crisil report. However, the price of a non-vegetarian thali has increased by around 6 per cent.
The dip in the prices of the vegetarian thali cost was mainly due to lower tomato and LPG prices. On the other hand, the rise in the non-vegetarian thali price was driven by an increase in broiler chicken prices. The Crisil report said, “Cost of vegetarian thali declined on-year in February amid lower tomato price, while that of non-vegetarian thali inched up as runup in broiler price continued”.
The report underscored that tomato prices dropped 28 per cent YoY from Rs 32 per kg to Rs 23 per kg in February. This decline was due to a 20 per cent increase in tomato arrivals in the market. Moreover, LPG prices also fell by 11 per cent on a year-on-year basis, providing further relief. The price of a 14.2 kg LPG cylinder in Delhi dropped to Rs 803 from Rs 903 last year.
However, the full effect of the decline in tomato and LPG prices was not visible in the thali price because it was limited by the rising prices of other key ingredients. On a YoY basis, the prices of onions rose by 11 per cent, potato prices by 16 per cent, and vegetable oil prices by 18 per cent.
On the other hand, the non-vegetarian thali became more expensive due to a 15 per cent YoY rise in broiler chicken prices. Notably, broiler accounts for around 50 per cent of the cost of a non-vegetarian thali, and the increase in its price was due to a low base from last year when excess supply had led to lower prices.
However, on a month-on-month (MoM) basis, the cost of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian thalis fell by 5 per cent in February. This decline was driven by lower prices of key vegetables. Onion, potato, and tomato prices dropped respectively, due to fresh arrivals in the market.
(With ANI Inputs)
