Softer vegetable prices lower meal cost in April: Report

Mumbai: Softer vegetable prices helped in lowering the cost of home-made meals in April this year, a report said on Wednesday.

As per the “roti rice rate” report prepared by an arm of domestic rating agency Crisil, the cost of a typical vegetarian meal reduced 4 per cent year-on-year and 1 per cent month-on-month to Rs 26.3 in April.

The on-year fall in prices was attributed to the sharp decline in vegetable prices, which included a 34 per cent plummet in tomato, an 11 per cent decrease in potato and a 6 per cent drop in onions.

A 19 per cent increase in vegetable oil prices due to higher import duties and a 6 per cent rise in LPG cylinder prices limited the decline in thali costs, the report said.

A non-vegetarian thali declined by 4 per cent year-on-year and 2 per cent month-on-month to Rs 53.9 per plate, it added.

Further, the report said that the decline in the price of a non-veg meal was influenced by the softening of the vegetable prices and a dip in poultry prices, which was hit by oversupply as bird flu in some peninsular states impacted demand.