Shillong, August 7: The cost of preparing a homemade vegetarian thali has witnessed a sharp 34% increase, while a non-vegetarian thali’s cost rose by 13% in July compared to the input prices of June 2023, according to a recent report by CRISIL.
The report highlights that in July, the expense of cooking a vegetarian thali at home reached Rs 33.7 (up from Rs 26.3 in June), while the cost of a non-vegetarian meal stood at Rs 66.8 (up from Rs 60 in June).
CRISIL outlines that a vegetarian thali consists of roti, vegetables (onion, tomato, and potato), rice, dal, curd, and salad. For the non-vegetarian variant, chicken has been considered in place of dal.
The report considers estimated broiler prices for July 2023.
Of the total 34% increase in the cost of vegetarian meals, a significant 25% can be attributed to the staggering 233% surge in tomato prices witnessed last month. Tomato prices skyrocketed from Rs 33/kg in June to Rs 110/kg in July.
Other contributing factors to the heightened cost last month included a 16% rise in onion prices, a 9% increase in potato prices, a 69% surge in chili prices, and a 16% hike in cumin prices. Despite these increases, their overall contribution to the thali cost remains lower due to their relatively smaller quantities in a thali, as stated by CRISIL.
Conversely, the rise in cost for a non-vegetarian thali was comparatively milder, as the price of broilers, accounting for over 50% of the cost, likely decreased by 3-5% on a monthly basis in July.
“A 2% on-month decline in the price of vegetable oil provided some respite from the increase in cost of both thalis,” noted the report.