Rural India spent maximum of food expenditure on processed food, beverages in 2022-23: Survey

The rural sector spends most on beverages and processed food spending 9.6 percent of its expenditure on food items, followed by 8.3 percent on milk and milk products in 2022-23, Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation survey released on June 7 showed.

In 2022-23, in rural India, food accounted for about 46 percent of the value of the average rural Indian households’ consumption. Among other food items, the contribution of vegetables is at 5.38 percent in rural India. The contribution of cereals and cereal substitutes in the expenditure has been about 4.91 percent, the survey on Household Consumption Expenditure : 2022-23  showed.

In urban India, the contribution of food in Monthly Per Capita Consumer Expenditure (MPCE) in 2022-23 has been about 39 percent and similar to rural India, the contribution of beverages, refreshments and processed food has been the highest at 10.64 percent in this expenditure followed by milk and milk products at 7.22 percent and fruits and vegetables, each having a share of 3.8 percent.

Expenditure on food includes the value of self-consumed home produce, calculated at ex farm prices. It also includes the value of food collected free, for example, from forests, imputed at prevailing local retail prices.