Government to import 1 million tons sugar to cool prices
India
India's bringing in 1 million tons of raw sugar by October 31, after sugar prices jumped sharply.
The government announced this move to help cool things down at a time when both retail and wholesale prices are climbing fast.
Retail sugar up 13% to ₹52.30
Retail sugar prices are up 13% from last year, hitting ₹52.30 per kg, while ex-mill rates have surged too.
The main reasons: less rain in key growing areas has hurt production, and festive season demand is making things tighter.
Arvind Kejriwal blames ethanol policy
Opposition leaders say the government's ethanol policy, where more sugarcane goes into ethanol instead of sugar, has made shortages worse.
AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal pointed out that prices rose by around ₹20 per kg in 17 days because of this shift.