Silver price surge forces Indian sweetmakers to cut vark usage
Silver prices have shot up this year, making the shiny vark on Indian sweets a rare sight.
With silver jumping from ₹86,000 to nearly ₹1.92 lakh per kg, the cost of edible vark has doubled—now about ₹1,400 for just 150 sheets.
Sweets are losing their sparkle (and toppings)
Thanks to these costs, demand for vark has dropped by 25-30% since Rakshabandhan.
Sweet makers are switching to thinner layers or skipping vark altogether, and some are swapping vark for fancy toppings like pistachios and saffron as alternatives.
While a few shops hiked prices by 5-10% after Diwali, others are trying to keep things affordable for regulars.
Vark is now basically a luxury flex
With kaju katli topped with silver selling at ₹1,800-2,000 per kg—and gold-vark sweets hitting an eye-watering ₹25k-50k—silver vark has gone from everyday garnish to premium bling.
If your mithai still comes wrapped in that iconic foil, consider it a little festive upgrade!