In March, the price of a vegetarian thali increased by 7 percent, mainly driven by the surge in onion, tomato, and potato prices, as reported by a division of the domestic rating agency Crisil. Conversely, a decrease in poultry prices resulted in a 7 percent reduction in the cost of non-vegetarian thalis, according to Crisil Market Intelligence and Analysis in its monthly “Roti Rice Rate” report.
According to the report, the price of a vegetable thali, which includes roti, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, rice, dal, curd, and salad, rose to INR 27.3 per serving in March from INR 25.5 in the same period last year. However, it was lower than the price of INR 27.4 in February 2024.
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The report stated that the price hike in the vegetable thali was attributed to significant increases of 40 percent, 36 percent, and 22 percent in the prices of onions, tomatoes, and potatoes, respectively, compared to the previous year. This surge was influenced by reduced arrivals of onions and potatoes and a low base from the last fiscal year for tomatoes.
Additionally, the report highlighted that lower arrivals resulted in a 14 percent increase in rice prices and a 22 percent increase in pulses compared to the same period last year.
For the non-vegetarian thali, where only dal is replaced by chicken, the price dropped to INR 54.9 from INR 59.2 in the previous year, but it was higher than the INR 54 per thali recorded in February.
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The main reason for the year-on-year decline in the cost of non-vegetarian thali was a 16 percent decrease in broiler prices, which carry a 50 percent weight in the overall price, according to the report.
The report mentioned that compared to February, broiler prices increased by 5 percent due to the onset of the holy month of Ramadan and heightened demand.
