Cost Of Home Cooked Thalis Decline 4% In April
Pushan Sharma, Director- Research, Crisil Intelligence said, “Going forward, wheat and pulse prices are expected to moderate amid strong domestic output. Edible oil prices are also likely to soften over the next 2–3 months as global supplies pick up, mainly from Argentina, Indonesia and Malaysia.
Mumbai: The cost of home-cooked vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian thalis declined by 4 per cent year-on-year in April, according to Crisil Intelligence Roti Rice Rate Report.
The decrease in the cost of vegetarian thalis was because of a sharp fall in the prices of vegetables particularly tomatoes, potatoes, and onions. Tomato prices declined by 34 per cent year-on-year to ₹21 per kg from ₹32 per kg in April 2024, owing to a high base effect amid low crop yield last year. Similarly, potato prices fell 11 per cent on-year on a high base of last year, when the crop was affected by blight infestation and unseasonal rainfall in West Bengal. Onion prices also declined 6 per cent on a high base. A 19 per cent on-year jump in vegetable oil prices due to a rise in import duty and 6 per cent on-year rise in LPG cylinder prices curtailed a further decline in the cost of both thalis.
In the case of non-veg thali, an estimated 4 per cent year-on-year decline in broiler chicken prices lowered the cost. Broiler chicken comprises about 50 per cent of a non-vegetarian thali’s cost. The dip in broiler prices was on account of oversupply and lower demand amid bird flu cases in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka.
On a month on month basis, in April, the cost of vegetarian and non-vegetarian thalis declined by one per cent and by two per cent, respectively. A two per cent and 14 per cent month on-month fall in potato and onion prices, respectively, contributed towards the dip in the cost of the thalis; tomato prices, though, rose a slight one percent. In case of non-veg thali, broiler chicken price fell an estimated 2 per cent month on-month.
Pushan Sharma, Director- Research, Crisil Intelligence said, “Going forward, wheat and pulse prices are expected to moderate amid strong domestic output. Edible oil prices are also likely to soften over the next 2–3 months as global supplies pick up, mainly from Argentina, Indonesia and Malaysia. Rice prices, though, are expected to inch up with a projected increase in exports. And among vegetables, onion prices are likely to be range bound while tomato prices are forecast to rise on account of seasonality.”
The average cost of preparing a thali at home is calculated based on input prices prevailing in the north, south, east and west India.