CRISIL: August thali costs rise as onions, oil and LPG offset cheaper tomatoes
CRISIL Intelligence said vegetarian thali costs rose 1% year-on-year to Rs 29.5 in August, while non-vegetarian thalis rose 5% to Rs 57.5. Onion prices jumped 43% year-on-year, with higher edible-oil, LPG and broiler prices adding pressure.
What happened
Crisil Intelligence · CRISIL Intelligence said Indian household thali costs rose in August as onion, edible-oil, LPG and broiler prices increased. Onion prices
Key facts
- Vegetarian thali cost rose 1% year-on-year to Rs 29.5 in August
- Non-vegetarian thali cost rose 5% year-on-year to Rs 57.5 in August
- Vegetarian thali cost rose 1% month-on-month
- Non-vegetarian thali cost fell 1% month-on-month
- Onion prices rose 43% year-on-year to Rs 40/kg from Rs 28/kg
- Broiler chicken prices rose about 10% year-on-year and fell about 4% month-on-month
- Vegetable-oil prices rose 11% year-on-year
- LPG prices rose 10% year-on-year
- Potato prices fell 12% year-on-year
- Tomato prices fell 28% year-on-year
- Rabi onion output declined 5-6%
Why this matters
Prioritize partnerships or acquisitions that strengthen exposure to efficient fresh-produce sourcing, edible-oil supply chains and value-focused food formats as household meal inflation increases demand for affordability.
What to watch
- Wholesale and retail onion prices after new crop arrivals and any weather-related supply disruption.
- Edible-oil import prices, rupee movement and changes in import duties.
- Domestic LPG price revisions and the extent of subsidy support.
- Broiler-feed costs, poultry supply and retail chicken-price trends.
- September-October CPI food inflation, especially vegetables, oils/fats and prepared meals.
- Grocery volume trends, private-label mix and discount intensity at value-led retail chains.
- Modern grocers increase promotions on private-label edible oils, staples and value meal bundles while protecting margins through pack-size architecture.
- Value retailers and kiranas see stronger demand for smaller packs, loose staples, lower-cost edible oils and vegetarian meal ingredients.
- Foodservice operators raise prices selectively on chicken and onion-intensive dishes, promote vegetarian alternatives and seek procurement contracts for oil and poultry.
- Consumer-goods companies may defer aggressive price cuts despite tomato-led deflation, citing input-cost pressure in oils, packaging, logistics and cooking fuel.