Between 1999-2000 (National Sample Survey 55th round) and 2022-23, the share of expenditure on food has gradually declined for both urban and rural households. Expenditure on cereals was almost 22 per cent of the total consumption expenditure in rural households in 1999-2000; it is now down to 4.91 per cent. In 2022-23, this was significantly higher for rural households at 14 per cent, and only marginal higher for urban households at 11.17 per cent. But over the last 11 years, as the latest Household Consumption Expenditure (HCE) Survey 2022-23 shows, a lot has changed. Again, the share of expenditure on food in rural households is 46.38 per cent, according to the Survey.

Source: Indian Express February 26, 2024 03:45 UTC