Cost Of Home-Cooked Thali Declined In March: Crisil

New Delhi: The cost of a home-cooked vegetarian and non-vegetarian 'thali (plate)' declined 2 per cent and 5 per cent, respectively, in March 2025 compared to the previous month, according to a Crisil Intelligence report released on Monday.

There was a decline in onion, potato and tomato prices by 5 per cent, 7 per cent and 8 per cent respectively compared to the previous month amid fresh arrivals of the crop which led to the drop in the cost of a thali.

The cost of a non-vegetarian thali declined owing to an estimated 7 per cent on-month drop in broiler chicken prices. An elevated supply in the North, coupled with slower demand amid a bird flu scare in the South, led to the dip in broiler prices.

As far as the comparison with the cost of March last year, the cost of a home-cooked vegetarian thali declined 3 per cent , while that of a non-vegetarian thali remained flat on-year in March.

The on-year decline in the cost of a vegetarian thali was due to a sharp dip in the prices of tomato

Year-on-year tomato prices declined 34 per cent to Rs21/kg in March 2025 from Rs32/ kg in March 2024.

Arrival of tomato crop across the country rose 29 per cent. The increase was particularly in the southern states, which had a robust Rabi crop due to increased acreage and better yield on-year amid healthy reservoir levels

However, a 2 per cent, 6 per cent and 19 per cent on-year jump in the prices of potato, onion and vegetable oil, respectively, prevented a further decline in the cost of a vegetarian thali.

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.