Rice roti rate in May: Cost of home-cooked non-vegetarian thali falls 7%, veg thali goes up 9% due to onion prices

Food inflation: The cost of home-cooked non-veg thali declined year-on-year owing to lower poultry prices. But price of home-cooked increased owing to a surge of 39%, 41% and 43% on-year in the prices of tomato, potato and onion, respectively, largely because of the low base of last fiscal, a report by CRISIL said on Thursday.

The cost of home-cooked vegetarian thali in May 2024 was Rs 27.80 as compared to Rs 25.50 in May 2023. The cost of veg thali, which comprises roti, vegetables (onions, tomatoes and potatoes), rice, dal, curd and salad, in April was Rs 27.40.

As per Crisil Market Intelligence and Analysis’ monthly “Roti Rice Rate” report, lower onion arrivals on account of a significant drop in rabi acreage coupled with a decline in potato arrivals on account of the adverse impact of late blight and crop damage in West Bengal contributed towards the increase in prices. 

"A dip in acreage, resulting in subdued arrivals, led to a 13% on-year increase in the price of rice (accounting for 13% of the veg thali cost), while lower
reservoir levels impacted production of pulses (accounting for 9% of the veg thali cost) leading to a 21% increase in prices on-year," CRISIL said in the report.

On the other hand, the cost of home-cooked non-vegetarian thali, which was Rs 59.90 in May 2023, declined to Rs 55.90 in May 2024, mainly due to lower poultry prices. In the case of non-veg thali, all ingredients are same but dal gets replaced by chicken.

"The decline in the cost of the non-veg thali can be attributed to an estimated ~16% drop in broiler prices on-year on a high base of last fiscal," the report stated.

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 and cooking gas) driving the change in the cost of the thali.