Tomato back on veg thali

Mumbai: Food connoisseurs have a reason to cheer now as higher tomato prices that pushed up the cost of vegetarian thali by 24 per cent in August compared to the year-ago period, fell to Rs 20/kilogram.

The cost, however, eased marginally when compared to July, Crisil Market Intelligence and Analytics monthly ‘Roti Rice Rate’ report said on Thursday. In August, the cost of a vegetarian thali declined marginally month-on-month on a high base and was elevated year-on-year for the second time this fiscal, primarily because of firm tomato prices. The cost of a non-vegetarian thali rose 13 per cent year-on-year, it added.

Of the 24 per cent rise in the vegetarian thali cost, 21 per cent can be attributed solely to the price of tomato, which rose 176 per cent year-on-year to Rs102 per kg in August compared to Rs37 per kg in the same month last year, the report said. As per the report, for non-vegetarian thali, the increase was less as the price of broilers, which contributes to more than 50 per cent of the cost, is estimated to have risen a moderate 1-3 per cent year-on-year.