Jaipur: Supply disruptions, weakening rupee, and persistently high energy costs are steadily driving up expenses across industries in Rajasthan, with several sectors already announcing price hikes. Restaurants have declared that they will raise menu prices by 7-10% within the next few days, citing fuel, logistics, and raw material costs. “It is difficult to absorb the cost pressure anymore. We are calculating the range of hikes, which should be around 7-10%,” said Tarun Behl, promoter of a leading restaurant chain in Jaipur.Hotels, meanwhile, are upgrading billing systems to increase food and beverage rates but have ruled out raising hotel room tariffs. “Hotel occupancy has already fallen significantly due to the West Asia conflict. So, we cannot raise room tariffs,” said Ranvijay Singh, senior vice president of the Federation of Hotels of Rajasthan.The garment industry is also under pressure, facing higher printing and dyeing costs linked to crude oil prices, alongside a 30% surge in cotton prices. “Ready-made garment prices have become 5-7% costlier. We are facing a strange situation of lower demand and higher raw material prices,” said Zakir Hussain, past president of the Garment Exporters Association of Rajasthan.Hussain added that unstable market conditions, squeezed credit facilities, and shortened order pipelines have clouded the outlook for the labour-intensive sector. “Work orders, which used to have a 4-5-month pipeline, have now reduced to just 45 days,” he said.If the order pipeline does not improve, layoff would be inevitable, Hussain added.Industry representatives warn that the escalation is not limited to any single sector. With the rupee’s depreciation adding further pressure, businesses across the board are expected to raise prices in the coming weeks.
