A 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 remained the second highest over the past year at ₹31.2, just 4% below July levels, Crisil’s food plate cost tracker shows.

Economists expect retail inflation to stay below the Reserve Bank of India’s 4% inflation target for the second month in a row on base effects. Retail inflation had dipped to a five-year low of 3.5% in July, with food inflation at a 13-month low of 5.4%. In August 2023, retail prices had surged 6.8% with food inflation exceeding 9.9%.