With the festive season ending, onion prices fell 14 percent in December, after increasing 56.2 percent in November. Costs of tomato, potato, poultry and other food items like edible oil, tea, sugar and milk also declined
As prices of key vegetables like tomato, onions and potato have begun to cool off in December, their impact on escalating prices of home-cooked vegetarian and non-vegetarian thalis is waning off. Prices of the three items, popularly known as TOP, have stayed volatile almost the year around in 2023 due to various factors like supply issues or weather-related stress.
In December, the average price of a non-vegetarian thali shrunk to Rs57.6, based on an analysis by Crisil. That is Rs2.8 or 4.6 percent cheaper from previous month and a decline of Rs2.5 or 4.1 percent compared to December 2022. The cost of the non-veg thali declined faster due to a 5-7 percent on-month fall in price of broilers (chicken).
The decline in the cost of the non-veg thali was due to 15 percent decline in broiler prices on-year amid higher production, says Crisil. Typically, broilers (chicken) contribute 50 percent of the cost of a non-veg thali.
The average cost of preparing a thali at home is calculated based on input prices prevailing in north, south, east, and west India. The monthly change reflects the impact on the common man’s expenditure. The data also reveals the ingredients (cereals, pulses, broilers, vegetables, spices, edible oil, cooking gas) driving changes in the cost of a thali.