Rising tomato prices push veg thali cost up by 24 per cent: Crisil

The cost of a vegetarian thali rose 24 per cent and a non-vegetarian thali 13 per cent year-on-year in August, according to Crisil.

Of the 24 per cent rise in the vegetarian thali cost, 21 per cent can be attributed solely to the price of tomato, which rose 176 per cent year-on-year to ₹102/kg in the month vs ₹37/kg a year ago.

• Also read: Tomato prices are down on our timely intervention, says govt

The average cost of preparing a thali at home is calculated based on input prices prevailing in north, south, east, and west India. The monthly change reflects the impact on the common man’s expenditure. The data also reveals the ingredients (cereals, pulses, broilers, vegetables, spices, edible oil, cooking gas) driving changes in the cost of a thali.

“The costs could see some pull back in September as the tomato retail price has halved month-on-month to ₹51/kg. Also, the cost of a 14.2 kg LPG cylinder, which was ₹1,103 in August, has been brought down to ₹903 per cylinder from September. This will also come as a relief for consumers,” Crisil said.