Ranchi: A sharp rise in sugar prices and the alleged sale of commercial LPG cylinders at exorbitant rates on the black market have squeezed the margins of small sweet shops in the city ahead of the festival season.Shop owners claimed sugar prices had increased by at least Rs 20 per kg over the past fortnight, substantially raising production costs. At the same time, they said, LPG cylinders were being sold for nearly Rs 2,000 on the black market.“I bought sugar for Rs 47 per kg around two weeks ago. It now costs Rs 67-70 per kg. We are also paying nearly Rs 2,000 for an LPG cylinder on the black market. It is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain our profit margins,” said Kedar Sahu, who runs a sweet shop near Ranchi railway station.The spike in input costs has come just as shops are preparing for higher demand during the festival season. With Raksha Bandhan days away and Jitiya, Teej and Vishwakarma Puja to follow, traders said they might have little choice but to pass on the additional costs to customers.“We have to meet the festive demand. With production expenses rising, increasing sweet prices appears unavoidable,” Sahu said.Another sweet seller, Digvijay Kumar, said he had raised the price of laddus from Rs 150 to Rs 180 per kg. “Customers are initially reluctant to pay more. But demand for sweets rises during festivals, and they eventually end up paying a higher price,” he said.The increase in sugar prices has also affected roadside tea sellers. Mala Devi, a tea vendor, said she had been purchasing LPG cylinders for Rs 2,000 on the black market for the past six months but had so far refrained from increasing tea prices.“I did not raise the price despite the high cylinder cost. But now that sugar has also become expensive, I am planning to increase the price of a cup of tea from Rs 10 to Rs 12,” she said.
