Cost of veg, non-veg food falls in December due to fall in onion, tomato prices

MUMBAI: The cost of vegetarian and non-vegetarian thali or meals declined by 3 per cent and 5 per cent respectively month-on-month in December due to a fall in onion and tomato prices, a report said on Monday.
The report said that with the end of the festive season, onion and tomato prices fell by 14 per cent and 3 per cent month-on-month respectively, leading to lower prices of vegetarian and non-vegetarian thalis, the report said.

It said the 5-7 per cent month-on-month decline in broiler prices has led to a sharp decline in the price of non-veg thali, which accounts for 50 per cent of the cost.

The average cost of preparing thali at home is calculated based on the input prices prevailing in North, South, East and West India. The data also shows that the factors driving changes in thali price are (cereals, pulses, broiler, vegetables, spices, edible oil and cooking gas).

The report further states that on a year-on-year basis, the price of vegetarian thali increased by 12 percent, while the price of non-veg food declined by 4 percent.

It said prices of pulses, which account for 9 per cent of the cost of a vegetarian thali, have also increased by 24 per cent year-on-year.