In a boost for family budgets, January brought good news on kitchen costs. Crisil Intelligence reports a 1% year-on-year drop in vegetarian thali prices and a hefty 7% fall for non-vegetarian ones. Vegetables and pulses stealing the spotlight with sharp declines.
Breaking it down, onions crashed 27% on abundant reserves and weaker exports. Potatoes followed at 23% lower, correcting from prior crop failures. Lentils eased 14% overall, thanks to import booms—Bengal gram up 900%, yellow peas 85%, black chickpeas 31%—with permissions running through March 2026.
Tomatoes, however, rose 50% to Rs 46/kg after supplies fell 39%, building on last year’s lows. Vegetable oil prices ticked up 4% due to global soy deficits, while LPG increased 6%, muting the gains.
Pushpan Sharma of Crisil attributes the veg thali dip to ‘onion and pulse surpluses plus potato base effects, countered by tomatoes.’ This snapshot reflects improving stockpiles in the fiscal year, signaling potential stability for everyday meals as India navigates food price volatility.