The cost of a representative, home-cooked vegetarian and non-vegetarian thali in November 2023, increased 10 per cent and 5 per cent on month, respectively, CRISIL MI&A Research said.
The uptick was attributable to a substantial 58 per cent and 35 per cent on-month increase in onion and tomato prices, respectively, prompted by festive demand and lower output in the kharif season due to erratic rainfall conditions.
On-month, the cost of the non-vegetarian thali increased at a slower pace than that of the vegetarian thali because of a marginal 1-3 per cent decline in prices of broilers, which account for 50 per cent of the non-vegetarian thali cost, CRISIL said. The cost of a non-vegetarian thali increased to Rs 61.2 in November 2023 from Rs 58.2 in October and vegetarian thali cost rose to Rs 30.3 from Rs 27.5 in October.
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The cost of the vegetarian thali rose 9 per cent on-year, 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 vegetarian thali cost, also increased 21 per cent on-year.
The average cost of preparing a thali at home is calculated based on input prices prevailing in north, south, east and west India. 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, according to the rating agency.
A vegetarian thali comprises roti, vegetables (onion, tomato, and potato), rice, dal, curd, and salad. For non-vegetarian thali, the constituents remain same but for dal, which is replaced by chicken.
India’s retail inflation dropped to 4.87 per cent in October compared to 5.02 per cent in September, according to data from the ministry of statistics. The RBI’s monetary Policy Committee (MPC), which is meeting this week, retained the Repo rate at 6.50 per cent in the October policy meeting.
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The rise in thali prices means a family of five would be incurring an additional cost of Rs 14 for preparing vegetarian thali and Rs 15 for non-vegetarian thali for lunch or dinner a day. If they prepare thali for both lunch and dinner, the additional cost per month will be Rs 840 for vegetarian thali and Rs 900 for non-vegetarian thali per household of five members.
The total cost of preparing a vegetarian thali for a five-member family will be Rs 4,545 per month and for non-vegetarian thali Rs 9,180 for either lunch or dinner.
Male agricultural workers in rural areas got an average daily wage of Rs 323.2 in India in 2022, according to RBI data. If they work for 20 days in a month, their monthly income will be around Rs 13,000 for two persons. If there’re two earning members in a household, 70 per cent of the wages will go towards preparing the vegetarian thali (both lunch and dinner) for the month. Expenses towards education, health, clothes, travel and energy will have to come from the balance 30 per cent. Households will have to compromise on the quality and richness of the daily meal and cut down food expenses to keep the family budget under control.