Onion, Tomato Prices Soar In March, Vegetarian Thali Costs Increased By 7%: Report

The cost of a vegetarian thali became dearer by 7 per cent in March primarily due to the rise in onion, tomato, and potato prices, an arm of domestic rating agency Crisil said today.

A cool down in poultry prices led to a 7 per cent decline in non-vegetarian thali, Crisil Market Intelligence and Analysis said in its monthly “Roti Rice Rate” report.

The cost of a vegetable thali — comprising roti, vegetables (onions, tomatoes and potatoes), rice, dal, curd and salad — increased to ₹ 27.3 per plate in March from ₹ 25.5 in the year-ago period, but was cheaper than ₹ 27.4 in February 2024, it said.

“The cost of the veg thali increased due to a surge of 40 per cent, 36 per cent and 22 per cent on-year in prices of onion, tomato and potato, respectively, due to lower arrivals of onion and potato and low base of last fiscal for tomatoes,” the report said.

The report also noted that due to lower arrivals, prices of rice increased 14 per cent and pulses by 22 per cent when compared to the year-ago period.

In the case of non-veg thali, in which only dal gets replaced by chicken, the price declined to ₹ 54.9 as against ₹ 59.2 in the year-ago period, but was higher when compared with ₹ 54 per thali in preceding February.

A 16 per cent decline in the cost of the broiler prices, which has a 50 per cent weight in the overall price, was the primary reason for the decline in the cost of non-vegetarian thali on a year-on-year basis, it said.

When compared with February, the prices of broiler increased 5 per cent because of the start of the holy month of Ramadan and higher demand, the report said.

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