NEW DELHI: The cost of
home-cooked meals
saw a hike in December with an average cost of preparing a vegetarian thali 6 per cent up at Rs 31.6 per plate against Rs 29.7 in the previous year. However, this slightly declined from November’s rate of Rs 32.7.
This surge was fuelled by higher prices of key kitchen staples like tomatoes and potatoes, according to a report released on Monday by a unit of rating agency Crisil.
For non-vegetarian thalis, the cost jumped 12 per cent annually and 3 per cent monthly growth to Rs 63.3 in December.
The Roti, Rice, Rate report evaluated the common man’s expenditure on food and revealed that tomato prices surged 24 per cent annually reaching Rs 47 per kg in December, while potatoes shot up 50 per cent to Rs 36 per kg, partly due to a low base effect.
Vegetable oil prices further strained household budgets, climbing 16 per cent year-on-year, following government-imposed import duty hikes.
However, the report highlighted that an 11 per cent drop in LPG prices year-on-year helped temper the impact of rising food costs to some extent.
For non-vegetarian thalis, the primary driver of the price increase was a 20 per cent year-on-year rise in broiler chicken prices, which accounted for 50 per cent of the total meal cost. The surge in poultry prices was also attributed to a low base from the previous year.
On a monthly basis, fresh supplies from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat led to a 12 per cent decline in tomato prices in December, reducing the cost of vegetarian thalis by 3 per cent. Additionally, onion prices fell by 12 per cent and potato prices by 2 per cent, further contributing to the reduction in costs between November and December.
Meanwhile, non-vegetarian thalis became costlier on a month-on-month basis, with a 3 per cent rise because of increased broiler chicken prices due to cold wave which weighted down the production, increased demand during the festive and wedding season, and higher feed costs.
