Kolkata sugar prices at ₹70/kg, sweets pricier ahead of festivals
Sugar prices in Kolkata have shot up to ₹70 per kilogram, up by ₹20 in the past month and rising fast, with festive demand.
It's not just sugar; jaggery and sweets like batasa and nakuldana are getting pricier too.
With everyone gearing up for celebrations, traders say the sudden spike is hitting wallets right when sweet treats are most wanted.
India allows 1MT raw sugar imports
To cool things down, the government is letting mills import 1 million ton of raw sugar, the first time in 10 years!
But traders warn this will only cover about two weeks of India's needs.
Add to that new rules limiting how much big buyers can stock, plus global supply issues like less production in Brazil and more sugarcane going into ethanol.
Sweet shop owners worry that if prices stay high ahead of the festival season, making mithai could get a lot tougher (and costlier) for everyone craving a festive bite.