The cost of a vegetarian thali surged by 7 per cent in March, primarily driven by escalating prices of onions, tomatoes, and potatoes. According to Crisil Market Intelligence and Analysis, a branch of domestic rating agency Crisil, in its monthly "Roti Rice Rate" report released on Thursday, it highlighted a contrasting trend, noting a 7 per cent decrease in the cost of a non-vegetarian thali due to a cooldown in poultry prices.
The report revealed that the price of a vegetable thali, inclusive of roti, vegetables (onions, tomatoes, and potatoes), rice, dal, curd, and salad, rose to Rs 27.3 per plate in March from Rs 25.5 in the corresponding period last year. However, it remained marginally cheaper compared to Rs 27.4 in February 2024.
Explaining the surge in prices, the report attributed it to a substantial year-on-year increase of 40 per cent, 36 per cent, and 22 per cent in the prices of onions, tomatoes, and potatoes, respectively. This rise was mainly due to lower arrivals of onions and potatoes and a low base from the previous fiscal for tomatoes.
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Additionally, the report highlighted a 14 per cent increase in rice prices and a 22 per cent increase in pulse prices compared to the same period last year, attributed to lower arrivals.
In contrast, the cost of a non-vegetarian thali, where only dal is replaced by chicken, decreased to Rs 54.9 from Rs 59.2 in the corresponding period last year. However, it saw a slight increase compared to Rs 54 per thali in February.
The primary reason for the decline in the cost of the non-vegetarian thali on a year-on-year basis was attributed to a 16 per cent decrease in the cost of broiler prices, which holds a 50 per cent weight in the overall price.
However, compared to February, broiler prices saw a 5 per cent increase due to the commencement of Ramadan and heightened demand, the report concluded.