Bhubaneswar: The cost of putting a daily meal on the table has gone up with prices of almost every kitchen staple, from rice, pulses and sugar to edible oils and onions, rising over the past month, compounding the burden of already expensive vegetables.Sugar has registered the sharpest increase among essential grocery items over the past month. However, the rise has not been confined to a single commodity. Edible oils have also become dearer, with mustard oil retailing at over Rs 190 per litre in the state. Prices of imported palm, soybean and sunflower oils have also increased. Wheat and wheat-based products such as suji (semolina) and maida (refined flour) have become costlier too.In the rice-consuming state, the wholesale price of rice has risen by Rs 500 to Rs 700 per quintal, adding to household expenses. Among pulses, urad dal has witnessed the steepest increase, retailing at around Rs 110 to Rs 120 per kg, while arhar, moong and masoor have remained relatively stable, registering only marginal increases of Rs 1 to Rs 2 per kg.Onions have also witnessed a sharp increase over the past month, with retail prices rising by around 25%, from about Rs 28 per kg to Rs 35 per kg. In contrast, potato prices have remained largely stable at around Rs 20 per kg.General secretary of Odisha Byabasayee Sangha Sudhakar Panda estimated that the overall cost of preparing a daily meal has increased by about 5% to 7% in the state. Explaining the rise in sugar prices, Panda said two factors are driving the market — monthly sugar stock releases by the Centre and the diversion of sugarcane for ethanol production.“At the end of every month, sugar mills submit details of their available stock to the Centre, which decides how much quantity will be released into the open market. If the allocated quantity is low, wholesale and retail prices inevitably rise. Besides, a significant portion of sugar is being diverted for ethanol blending. As a result, wholesale sugar prices have increased by nearly Rs 1,000 per quintal, or around 25%,” he said.Explaining the rise in rice prices, Cuttack Chamber of Commerce secretary and Malgodown trader Prafulla Chotray said consumers in Odisha are increasingly shifting from parboiled rice, which is produced in abundance in the state, to raw rice. The higher demand for raw rice, coupled with supply constraints from other states, has pushed up prices by Rs 500 to Rs 700 per quintal across major varieties, he said.On pulses, Chotray said prices largely depend on sowing and production in the states from where Odisha procures its stock. “If sowing is poor, traders tend to hold back stocks in anticipation of higher prices. When production is good, they release stocks into the open market. We are hearing that sowing of urad, arhar and masoor has been affected in the producing states, which is likely to keep prices firm,” he said. Traders fear that rice and pulse prices could rise further amid concerns that a possible El Niño may affect crop production in the coming season.Panda attributed the increase in edible oil prices primarily to higher international prices and rising import costs. “Mustard oil has become costlier because mustard seed prices have increased by around Rs 1,000 per quintal,” he said.The rise in grocery prices comes at a time when vegetable prices remain elevated due to weather-related supply disruptions and lower arrivals in wholesale markets. Tomatoes, green chillies, beans and several leafy vegetables continue to sell at significantly higher prices than a few weeks ago, further inflating household food bills.Consumers say the combined increase in grocery and vegetable prices has significantly stretched their monthly budgets.“Earlier, only vegetables were expensive. Now even basic grocery items cost more. Every visit to the market means spending more than before. On top of that, petrol and diesel prices have also increased,” said Nibedita Samal, a homemaker in Bhubaneswar.
