New Delhi
The cost of home-cooked vegetarian thalis surged by 20% year-on-year in October, largely due to rising vegetable prices. Similarly, the cost of non-vegetarian thalis rose by 5%, breaking a 12-month streak of price declines, according to a report on Wednesday.
Vegetables, which make up about 40% of a vegetarian thali’s cost, saw significant price hikes, with tomatoes, potatoes, and onions recording sharp increases. Factors such as heavy rainfall in key agricultural states, crop damage due to strong festive demand, and depleted cold storage stocks contributed to the price spikes. Onion prices rose 46%, and potatoes saw a 51% increase compared to the same month last year.
The report predicts that tomato prices will stabilize in November, and onion prices will moderate with the arrival of kharif crops, but potato prices may take longer to ease.
For non-vegetarian thalis, which had experienced price declines for the past year, a 5% price increase was noted. This increase was slower due to a 9% drop in broiler prices, which account for half of the non-veg thali cost. However, vegetable prices, which make up about 22% of the non-veg thali cost, saw a rise.
The cost analysis takes into account the average prices across different regions in India, including north, south, east, and west.
