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How India Eats: Cheap tomato helps cut thali prices in March

Rise in prices of other food items like potato, onion, vegetable and broiler chicken prevented a further decline in the overall cost of both the thalis

Published: Apr 4, 2025 10:55:19 AM IST
Updated: Apr 4, 2025 12:34:01 PM IST

The lower cost of tomato reduced prices of both the vegetarian and non-vegetarian thali in March. Tomato prices declined 34 percent year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 21 per kilogram in March from Rs 32 per kg. The arrival of tomato crop across the country increased 29 percent, particularly in the southern states, which had a robust rabi crop due to higher acreage and better yield amid healthy reservoir levels.

However, a rise in the prices of other food items like potato, onion, vegetable and broiler chicken (in case of non-vegetarian thali) prevented a further decline in the overall cost of both the thalis, shows Crisil analysis.

Also read: How India Eats: 15 percent rise in chicken prices drives non-veg thali cost higher again in Feb

In March, prices of potato, onion and vegetable oil rose 2 percent, 6 percent and 19 percent YoY respectively. On a monthly basis, however, there was a drop of 5 percent, 7 percent and 8 percent in the prices of onion, potato and tomato respectively, amid fresh arrival of harvest.

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Broiler chicken got expensive by 2 percent YoY but fell 7 percent month-on-month in March. Broiler chicken prices contribute about 50 percent of a non-vegetarian thali’s cost. 

The average cost of a thali is calculated based on input prices prevailing in north, south, east and west India. The data also reveals the ingredients (cereals, pulses, broiler poultry, vegetables, spices, edible oil, cooking gas) driving changes in the cost of a thali.

(Forbes India's monthly series 'How India Eats' takes a look at how the average price of a food plate in India changes every month, indicating the impact on the common man's expenditure by analysing the Indian thali.)

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