New Delhi, Feb 6: The cost of a home-cooked vegetarian thali declined by 9 per cent in January this year compared to the previous month of December while that of a non-veg thali declined 4 per cent month-on-month, according to figures compiled by Crisil Ratings.

The decline in thali prices was due to a fall in tomato prices by as much as 34 per cent compared to the previous month, driven by fresh arrivals of the rabi crop in the market.

Similarly, a 16 per cent drop in potato prices and a 21 per cent fall in onion prices compared to December also contributed to the decline in the thali cost.

The cost of a non-veg thali dipped at a slower pace owing to an estimated 1 per cent rise in broiler prices month-on-month, the Crisil report stated.

However, year-on-year, there was an increase in the price of a vegetarian thali by 2 per cent in January while that of a non-vegetarian thali rose 17 per cent due to the higher cost of chicken compared to a low base in the previous year.

The price rise of non-veg thali was driven by an estimated 33 per cent year-on-year rise in broiler (chicken) prices, accounting for around 50 per cent of a non-veg thali cost. The surge in prices is due to the low base of last year when prices crashed due to excess production.

Potato price rose 35 per cent on a low base of last year to Rs 31 per kg in January 2025 from Rs 23 kg in January 2024. Prices of pulses and cooking oil also rose year-on-year.

However, there was an 11 per cent year-on-year drop in LPG fuel cost (to Rs 803 per 14.2 kg LPG cylinder in Delhi from Rs 903 last year) provided a partial offset to the increase in prices of other ingredients.

Meanwhile, India’s retail inflation rate, based on the Consumer Price Index, fell to a 4-month low of 5.22 per cent in December as prices of vegetables, pulses and sugar eased during the month bringing respite to household budgets, according to figures compiled by the Ministry of Statistics.

The easing of inflation reflects a steadily declining trend after having touched a 14-month high of 6.21 per cent in October. CPI inflation had declined to 5.48 per cent in November.

The decline in retail inflation in December was attributed to the easing of the price spiral in key food items.

--IANS

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