Veg thali cost at 1-year low in April as vegetable prices fall

New Delhi: The average cost of a home-cooked vegetarian thali declined to ₹26.3 in April, the lowest in a year, as vegetable prices fell, Crisil said in a report on Wednesday.The cost has come down from ₹26.6 in March and ₹27.4 in April 2024.Similarly, the average cost of a non-vegetarian thali fell to ₹53.9 last month from ₹54.8 in March and ₹56.3 in April 2024, according to the rating agency's report. With prices of edible oil, wheat and pulses expected to soften, thali costs may remain low in coming months, experts said. Crisil's data covers input prices across the north, south, east and west regions of India.On a yearly basis, the cost of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian thali dropped by 4% each, the report said.Among vegetables, tomato prices fell by 34% to ₹21 for a kilo in April from Rs 32/kg a year ago. Prices of potato and onion decreased by 11% and 6%, respectively year on year. "Tomato, onion and potato prices declined on account of improved yields; last year, the yields of the crops had decreased," said Pushan Sharma, director - research at Crisil Intelligence.