High prices of onion, tomato drove up cost of thali in Nov

The cost of a vegetarian ‘thali’ rose 10 per cent in November as compared to October while the cost of a non-veg thali increased 5 per cent as the prices of onions and tomatoes shot up during the month, according to a CRISIL report.

Unseasonal rainfall during November had damaged the onion and tomato crops which led to a shortage of the two commodities in the market and triggered the price rise.

“The cost of the veg thali rose 9 per cent year-on-year (YoY), driven by a 93 per cent and 15 per cent increase in onion and tomato prices, respectively. Prices of pulses, which account for 9 per cent of the veg thali cost, also increased 21 per cent YoY,” CRISIL said.

A veg thali comprises roti, vegetables, rice, dal, curd, and salad. Its average cost is calculated based on input prices prevailing in north, south, east, and west India.

For non-vegetarian thali, the increase in prices was lower because of a dip in chicken price which accounts for 50 per cent of the total cost of a non-veg thali. Chicken replaces dal in a non-veg thali while the rest of the items remain the same.

The cost of veg and non-veg thalis came down by 1 per cent and 3 per cent in October as compared to September, as potato, tomato and broiler prices had fallen during the month.