Households are making a 'small switch' to deal with rising food prices

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

The kitchen budgets are on a tight squeeze, therefore, the markets are witnessing a change in the spending habits of the consumers. Instead of buying fresh tomatoes, people have shifted to buying small cartons of tomato puree, from fresh ginger to single-use sachets of ginger paste and loose cumin powder to tiny 7-gm sachets, reported TOI. «Since last week I've been using tomato puree in my cooking and its value for money,» TOI quoted Sukanya Sinha, a postgraduate student who lives in south Kolkata, as saying.

Tomato puree pouches are available in smaller packs of 200 gm, which cost just Rs 25, she added. Soaring prices The behavioural change can be linked with the surging prices of fruits, vegetables and spices due to rainfall. The price of tomato has shot up to Rs 100/kg. Cumin powder, which was Rs 550 a kg even a month ago, has shot up to Rs 800 a kg recently.

Similarly, ginger too has witnessed an exceptional increase in the price. The shift can also be linked with the fact that these commodities are an essential part of the staple Indian diet. «Cumin powder is an essential ingredient in most vegetarian and non-vegetarian Indian dishes.

With its price soaring, I have started using sachet packs that are less expensive,» Soma Dey, a homemaker residing on Canal West Road, told TOI. Cumin powder sachets from different brands were till recently available in the city for as little as Rs 5 for 9 gm. «Last week, all cumin powder sachets in my shop were sold out.