Meanwhile, cost of a representative home-cooked non-vegetarian thali declined by 7 percent in May. The non-vegetarian thali cost Rs55.9 compared to Rs59.9 last May. The decline in the cost of non-veg thali is due to an estimated 16 percent drop in broiler prices year-on-year on a high base of last fiscal. Prices of broilers account for 50 percent of a non-veg thali cost. Even on a monthly basis, the price of a non-vegetarian thali slipped by 1 percent. In April, a non-veg thali cost Rs56.3.
Consumer price index (CPI) or retail inflation eased marginally to 4.8 percent in April from 4.9 percent in March. Food inflation, however, edged up to 8.7 percent from 8.5 percent, driven by costlier cereals and meat vegetables, which have been sticky at elevated levels, softened a touch. Prices of edible oils fell at a softer pace year over year.
Food inflation, which has a 39.1 percent weight in the CPI gauge, has remained well above 8 percent for six months now. The pressure on food prices continues with the ongoing heatwaves. Crisil expects the upcoming monsoon rains to offer respite, assuming they are well-distributed in terms of time and geography.
(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.)
First Published: Jun 06, 2024, 11:02
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