Veg thali cost went up 12%, Non-veg declined by 4% in December 2023: Crisil Report

Vegetarians shelled out more for their home-cooked thali than non-vegetarians in December 2023 as compared to what they had spent in December 2022, states a report by CRISIL Market Intelligence & Analytics.

According to the report by the Crisil division, the cost of the vegetarian meal plate rose 12 per cent, while that of a non-vegetarian meal declined by four per cent in December 2023 as compared to the corresponding period in 2022.

The rise in veg thali cost was led by substantial increases of 82 per cent and 42 per cent in prices of onion and tomato, respectively. Prices of pulses, which account for about 9 per cent of the veg thali cost, also increased 24 per cent on-year, the report notes.

According to the report, the decline in the cost of the non-veg thali was due to about 15 per cent decline in broiler prices on-year amid higher production.

The good news is that on month-on-month basis, the cost of home cooked vegetarian and non-vegetarian meal fell three per cent and five per cent, respectively in December 2023 as compared to November 2023 prices, the report said.

"The easing was due to a 14 per cent and 3 per cent on-month decrease in prices of onion and tomato, respectively, with the festive season coming to an end. The cost of the non-veg thali declined faster due to a 5-7 per cent on-month decline in the price of broilers, which account for about 50 per cent of the cost," the report said.

According to the report, cost of cooking a plate of vegetarian food was Rs 29.70 last month (November 2023 Rs 30.5) while that of non-vegetarian meal was Rs 57.6 (November 2023 Rs 60.4). The analysis comes two days ahead of the official figures on the consumer price index which will be released on Friday.

Ministry of Statistics data released month had showed India's retail inflation increased to 5.55 per cent in November after having slowed to a four-month low of 4.87 per cent in October, with higher food prices pushing up the cost of living.

Food inflation, which accounts for nearly half of the overall consumer price basket, rose by 8.7 per cent during November. The decline in the thali costs reflecting the fall in food prices is likely to show up in the December figures.

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