CRISIL explains why the price of vegetarian thali has increased

Amid the inflation, the cost of vegetables like tomatoes and potatoes has made home-cooked food expensive. A report released by Crisil on Monday said that the average cost of preparing a vegetarian thali increased by six per cent to Rs 31.6 per plate in December, while in the same period a year ago it was Rs 29.7 per plate.However, this price is less than the rate of Rs 32.7 in November. Crisil, an organization that assesses the expenditure on the food of the common man, has said in its report that the cost of a non-vegetarian thali increased by 12 per cent on an annual basis and three per cent monthly to Rs 63.3 in December. Explaining the reasons for the food prices getting expensive, the report said that tomato prices rose by 24 per cent to Rs 47 per kg in December, while potatoes rose by 50 per cent to Rs 36 per kg. According to the report, vegetable oil prices have increased by 16 per cent due to the increase in import duty by the government, which has increased the trouble for the common man. The report said that from an annual perspective, an 11 per cent decline in LPG fuel rates has helped reduce the impact of high costs.In the case of a non-vegetarian thali, the price of broilers increased by 20 per cent, which has a 50 per cent weightage in calculating the overall food cost. The report said that the jump in poultry prices is due to the low base of the past. Tomato prices fell by 12 per cent amid fresh supplies from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat compared to November, which helped reduce the cost of vegetarian thali by three per cent. It said that a 12 per cent drop in onion prices and a two per cent drop in potato prices helped bring down prices between November and December. It said that broiler prices rose by 11 per cent due to a drop in production due to a cold wave, increased festival and wedding demand, and high cost of feed, which increased the cost of a non-vegetarian thali by three per cent in December.(Images courtesy: Canva)