Jamshedpur: A rise in sugar prices has begun to squeeze household budgets and push up costs for bakeries, sweet shops and tea stalls in the Steel City ahead of the festive season.Sugar is retailing at Rs 63-68 per kg, up from Rs 52-55 a month ago and Rs 59-63 last week. Wholesale prices have climbed to Rs 60-63 per kg from Rs 49-52 a month earlier.“Sugar is an essential part of our daily lives. A steep price rise affects everything — from tea and breakfast to sweets prepared at home. With festivals approaching, I am worried that our monthly kitchen budget will increase further,” said Ipsita Dutta, a Sonari resident.Bakery owners said they were finding it difficult to absorb the additional cost. “Sugar is a key ingredient in cakes, biscuits and several other bakery products. We cannot raise prices every time input costs increase as customers may stop buying. But if sugar prices remain high, absorbing the additional cost will become difficult,” said Md Karim, who runs a bakery in Mango.Sweet shop owners are also weighing price revisions ahead of the festive rush. “Demand usually rises during the festive season, but high sugar prices are directly increasing our production costs. We are monitoring the situation before deciding whether to raise sweet prices,” said Kailash Gupta, a sweet shop owner in Bistupur.Tea stalls are also feeling the pinch, with several vendors raising the price of a cup by Rs 1-2 on Sunday. Others have held back, fearing a drop in sales.Tight supplies and higher festive demand have pushed up sugar prices across the country. The Centre has allowed duty-free imports of 10 lakh tonnes of raw sugar to boost availability. Jamshedpur West JD(U) legislator Saryu Roy has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene.
