Crisil Report: Veg Thali price jumps 10% in June amid rising vegetable costs

The average cost of a vegetarian thali became dearer by 10% in June due to the jump in onion, potato, and tomato prices, a report said on Friday.

However, a decline in the broiler price contributed to a decrease in the cost of a non-vegetarian meal, as per Crisil Market Intelligence and Analysis' monthly "Roti Rice Rate" report.

The cost of veg thali, which comprises roti, vegetables (onions, tomatoes and potatoes), rice, dal, curd and salad, increased 10% to ₹29.4 per plate in June from ₹26.7 in the year-ago period, and was higher when compared to ₹27.8 in May 2024, it said.

The overall hike in vegetarian thali prices is attributed to a 30% increase in prices of tomato, 59% in potato and 46% in onion.

In the case of onion, there were lower arrivals due to a significant drop in rabi acreage, while potato witnessed lower yields due to unseasonal rainfall in March, it said.

On the surge in tomato prices, it said virus infestation in the summer crop due to high temperatures in key growing regions of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh reduced tomato arrivals by 35% year-on-year.

Additionally, there was a 13% increase in rice prices due to a dip in acreage, resulting in subdued arrivals, while the pulse prices rose 22% owing to a dry spell in key kharif months, the report said.

In the case of non-vegetarian thali, which comprises all the same ingredients but dal gets replaced by chicken, the price declined to ₹58 in June as compared to ₹60.5 in the year-ago period, but was considerably higher when compared with the preceding May's price of ₹55.9 per thali.

As per the report, non-vegetarian thali costs declined due to a decrease in broiler prices by around 14% year-on-year, oversupply and lower feed cost as against last year.

The report said the hike in the prices of both vegetable and non-vegetable meals prices when compared with the previous month was largely due to the surge in vegetable prices, it said.