Why the cost of veg thalis rose way faster than that of non-veg thalis in July

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Crisil's monthly indicator of food plate cost showed. The cost of vegetarian thalis rose 28% during the month under consideration, and that of non-vegetarian ones by 11% month-on-month, the data revealed. As per Crisil's reckoning, a veg thali comprises roti, vegetables (onion, tomato and potato), rice, dal, curd and salad.

For a non-vegetarian thali, chicken replaces dal. The reason for the faster rise in veg thali cost can primarily be attributed to tomato prices, ToI reported on August 8 citing Crisil's report. As per the report, «Of the 28% rise in the cost of a vegetarian thali, 22% can be attributed solely to the price of tomato.» It is worth mentioning here that July tomato prices rose an astounding 233% over June — to Rs 110/kg from Rs 33/kg.

A rise in the prices of onion and potato also added to the increasing thali costs — with onion rising 16% month-on-month and potato, 9%. Persistently stubborn tomato prices have slowly turned into a major policy issue in India. Following several months of price pain, the government has been forced to bring a series of policy steps to check runaway prices.

And it's not just tomato, onion and potato. Food inflation, in general, has begun to cause problems for the government owing to factors such as tight supplies and weather-related issues. The average prices for cereals (3.5%), pulses (7.7%) and vegetables (95.1%) and milk (10.4%) were higher on an annual basis while those for oils and fats (-17%) were lower, ToI's report said citing a latest analysis by financial services firm Emkay Global.