Crisil Intelligence’s latest analysis reveals steady vegetarian thali costs at home for February, unchanged from a year ago, contrasted by a 3 percent year-on-year drop in non-vegetarian thali expenses.
Veg plate equilibrium arose as tomato spikes countered falls elsewhere: onions tumbled 24 percent on high volumes, potatoes shed 13 percent with peak rabi output and storage drawdowns, and pulses eased 9 percent on abundant starts to the year.
This metric aggregates ingredient costs from India’s diverse markets, mirroring shifts in consumer spending power.
Non-veg relief traced to broilers, down roughly 7 percent annually and weighting half the thali.
Pushpan Sharma attributed tomato woes to sowing lags, yielding 32 percent less supply in November 2025-January 2026 markets.
Forward view: Vegetable softening ahead, tomatoes pricey till mid-April before seasonal upticks. Peak potato glut keeps them cheap through spring; onions need export strength to avoid 2-3 month squeeze.
Middle East flux threatens basmati demand, risking price softness given export concentrations there. Non-basmati to Africa stays buffered.