Home-cooked meals get expensive in June as tomatoes get dearer

The price of a home-cooked meal or a thali increased in June compared with the preceding month on dearer tomato prices, a report said on Tuesday.

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A vegetarian thali's cost moved up 3 per cent to Rs 27.1 in June as compared with Rs 26.2 in May, while the same for a non-vegetarian thali was up 4 per cent to Rs 54.8 per thali in June as against Rs 52.6 in May, according to the report.

The monthly 'Roti, Rice, Rate' report by an arm of domestic rating agency Crisil explained that an 8 per cent decline in arrivals led to a 36 per cent increase in the price of tomatoes which pushed up the cost of the thalis.

Additionally, consumers had to contend with a 4 per cent increase in the cost of potatoes, it said.

In the case of a non-vegetarian thali, a 5 per cent increase in broiler prices also hurt, it added.

Crisil Intelligence's director Pushan Sharma said that it expects thali costs to inch up sequentially as seasonal changes push up vegetable prices.

In the case of onions, a moderate price rise is expected in the absence of fresh arrivals and controlled release of rabi stock, while tomatoes, it is weak summer sowing which will push up the prices.

However, the report said that when compared on-year, there was an 8 per cent decline in vegetarian meal prices to Rs 27.1 per thali and 6 per cent in non-vegetarian meals, the report said, adding that this was largely due to the high base of June 2024.