Home-cooked veg thali cost drops 17% in October, non-veg 12% as vegetables, pulses get cheaper: Crisil

The cost of home-cooked vegetarian and non-vegetarian thalis decreased in October by 17 per cent and approximately 12 per cent, respectively, year-on-year (YoY), according to a recent Crisil report. The report attributed the decline primarily to because of a steep decline in the prices of vegetables and pulses.

The price of potatoes fell by 31 per cent on a high base, where the production in the Rabi season 2024-2025 increased by 3 to 4 per cent year-on-year, while the price of tomatoes decreased by 40 per cent year-on-year due to the influx of supplies from the west and south.

Onion prices dropped by 51 per cent year-on-year for the reason of higher stocks available from the previous rabi season and less export activity. The traders have been selling off the rabi season stocks in anticipation of new kharif arrivals in November.

The price of pulses decreased by 17 per cent as the imports of Bengal gram (up nine-fold last fiscal), yellow pea (up 85 per cent) and black gram (up 31 per cent) surged.

In contrast, the prices of vegetable oil surged by 11 per cent year-on-year due to increased demand during the festival season. This, along with a 6 per cent year-on-year rise in the cost of a liquefied petroleum gas cylinder, restrained the overall cost of thalis from declining further.

The falling price of a non-veg thali was because the price of broilers had only decreased moderately at around 6 per cent year on year. Broilers represent nearly half of the thali cost. However, vegetables and pulses had lower prices, which helped in reducing the overall cost.

However, the vegetarian and non-vegetarian thalis saw a price reduction of only 1 per cent and around 3 per cent, respectively, during the month of October.

The decrease in onion and tomato prices by 3 per cent and 8 per cent on a monthly basis, respectively, was a major factor in the reduction of thali prices, as input prices remained stable across the board.

The non-veg thali price reduction was associated with an estimated decline of 4 per cent in broiler prices, due to surplus in the market that month.

The average cost of home-prepared thali is calculated according to the prices of inputs in North, South, East, and West India. The monthly change indicates the effect on the Indian consumer's expenditure. Furthermore, the data also identifies the ingredients (cereals, pulses, broilers, vegetables, spices, edible oil, and cooking gas) that are responsible for the change in the cost of the thali.