THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Good news: Kerala’s idli-sambar tastes exactly the same as before Covid. Bad news: the bill that comes with it has turned bitter. This popular breakfast dish has quietly become a telling casualty of post-pandemic inflation.
An analysis based on an official report shows that ingredients for a standard home serving — 20 idlis with traditional sambar, enough for four to five people — that cost Rs 105 in 2015, and barely moved to Rs 107 by 2019, now costs Rs 145.
The ‘Retail Prices of Essential Commodities Report’ from the department of economics and statistics covering 75 essential commodities shows that prices which moved gradually before the pandemic have surged sharply since.
Before Covid, some key ingredients had actually become cheaper. Toor dal — the soul of every sambar — fell from Rs 122 per kg in 2015 to Rs 95 in 2019. Black gram, which gives the idli its texture, dropped from Rs 123 to Rs 95 in the same period. After the pandemic, both reversed sharply. Toor dal peaked at Rs 178 per kg in 2024, an 87% rise from 2019, before easing to Rs 136 in 2025. Black gram climbed to Rs 130, a 37% rise.
The year 2021 was the inflection point for several commodities. Until then, prices rose gradually with occasional corrections. From 2022, the pace became exceptional, with nearly every commodity hitting historic highs. Dry chillies averaged Rs 146 per kg in 2019, peaked at Rs 269 in 2022 and eased to Rs 191 in 2025. Turmeric powder doubled from Rs 16 per 100g in 2015 to Rs 30 in 2025, with most of the rise after 2021. Nothing tells the story better than coconut oil — Rs 137 per litre in 2015, Rs 185 in 2019, and Rs 368 in 2025.
The post-pandemic six-year rise was 99%, against a pre-Covid four-year rise of just 35%. Vegetables too have followed the same upward trajectory. Elephant foot yam price rose 85% from Rs 34 to Rs 63, snake gourd from Rs 37 to Rs 48 and ladies finger from Rs 39 to Rs 49. Even the humble tomato edged up from Rs 33 to Rs 37. All remain higher than pre-pandemic levels.
The price surge was not accidental, says Dr C Veeramani, Director of the Centre for Development Studies. “What happened during Covid was cost-push inflation — rising production costs reduced supply and pushed prices up,” he said.
‘Sticky-down prices’ at play
“The lockdown did not directly affect agricultural activities much, but it disrupted inputs like machinery, fertilisers, pesticides and seeds. That negative supply shock drove input prices higher, and since demand for essential commodities is inelastic — people cannot simply stop eating — prices stayed high,” Veeramani explained.
Why did prices not fall once the lockdown was long over? Dr Veeramani points to a well-known economic phenomenon called sticky-down prices — the tendency of prices to rise quickly but fall slowly, or not at all. In simple terms, once a trader or producer adjusts to a higher cost, they are reluctant to lower prices even when conditions improve.