Slide in tomato prices aid an 8% dip in vegetarian meal costs, CRISIL says
The HinduA sharp 51% drop in tomato prices aided in an 8% decline in average vegetarian meal costs through August but onion and potato prices surged more than 50% and the actual price paid by consumers for a vegetarian plate of food remained the second highest over the past year at ₹31.2, just 4% below July levels, as per Crisil’s monthly food plate cost tracker. “High frequency data for perishables point to a moderation in momentum into August, which together with remnant base effects are likely to keep headline inflation in the lower half of the target band at 3.2%,” said Radhika Rao, executive director and senior economist at DBS Bank. “This is led by a correction in prices of vegetables, especially tomato, while other essential commodities also moderated sequentially, so we expect inflation as per the Consumer Price Index to print at 4% in August,” said Aditi Gupta, an economist at the bank. While tomato prices may remain benign, Pushan Sharma, research director at Crisil Market Intelligence and Analytics cautioned that potato prices were likely to remain firm owing to late blight infestations in some key States, while onion prices could rise further in the near term.