New Delhi :Household budgets across India face mounting pressure as retail prices of daily kitchen staples—including sugar, onions, edible oils, and pulses—witnessed a sharp upward trajectory over the past month, prompting government intervention to stabilise market supply.
Sugar prices have recorded the most pronounced spike, climbing by ₹7 per kilogram over the last week and ₹17 per kilogram over the past month to touch ₹70 per kilogram in retail markets. Addressing concerns over speculative trading, the Centre attributed the price surge primarily to hoarding by mills and traders rather than diversion toward ethanol production.
To cool prices ahead of the festive season, the government has rolled out a three-pronged strategy: permitting the duty-free import of 10 lakh tonnes of sugar until October 31, capping wholesale stock limits at 400 tonnes per trader until November 30, and directing sugar mills to commence early sugarcane crushing from October 15.
Vegetable markets have experienced similar disruptions, with average retail onion prices rising to ₹40.79 per kilogram on August 21 from ₹36.56 a week earlier and ₹34.87 a month prior—an increase of up to 25% in specific regions. The escalation has been driven by delayed arrivals of the Kharif crop from southern India and monsoon disruptions affecting sowing in Maharashtra’s core production belt around Nashik. In response, authorities have commenced offloading onion stocks from the central buffer to mitigate shortages.
Simultaneously, pulse prices—notably Arhar (Tur), Moong, Urad, and Chana—have risen by ₹1 to ₹2 per kilogram, with market analysts projecting further upward momentum. Sowing data indicates an overall reduction in the pulse acreage by 35,000 hectares compared to the previous year, with Arhar sowing alone dropping by 1.69 lakh hectares amid uneven monsoon coverage.
Cooking oils have also registered price increases of 2% to 3% across mustard and refined variants. The domestic market remains squeezed by international factors, as global palm oil prices scaled a 20-month high due to severe dry weather in top producer Indonesia, alongside sustained supply chain bottlenecks in sunflower oil imports from the Black Sea region.
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