Bhubaneswar: A sharp rise in the prices of sugar and other essential food items has disrupted household budgets and heightened concerns among consumers and traders across Odisha. Retail sugar prices have climbed steeply in recent weeks, with open market rates jumping nearly ₹20 per kg from the earlier range of ₹40 to ₹42 per kg to between ₹60 and ₹65 per kg.
The surge has hit domestic consumers and local businesses particularly hard, including tea stall vendors, sweet makers and bakeries that depend on sugar as a key ingredient.
Malgodown in Kataka, one of the largest wholesale hubs supplying several surrounding districts, indicated a noticeable slowdown in sugar inflows. Odisha produces only 2 to 3 per cent of its sugar requirement and depends almost entirely on supplies from Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh. Irregular sugarcane production and reduced yields in major producing states have constrained availability, pushing costs higher from producers through wholesalers to retail outlets. Nationally, sugar prices have hit record levels amid tight supplies, with the all-India average retail price around ₹52 per kg and even higher in several markets, driven in part by the diversion of sugarcane for ethanol production under the push toward higher blending targets.
Sudhakar Panda, General Secretary of Odisha Byabasayi Mahasangha, observed that wholesale sugar prices have been fluctuating continuously, much like stock market movements. He noted that the wholesale price stood at around ₹4,100 per quintal about one-and-a-half months ago and has since risen to around ₹6,100 per quintal. Panda attribute the crunch largely to the increased diversion of sugarcane toward ethanol production, which has curtailed the volume available for commercial refining, along with expected higher demand ahead of the festive season.
The association has appealed to the government to declare a maximum retail price ceiling for sugar to protect consumers from further strain. Without such interventions, traders warn that prices of confectioneries and other daily essentials could rise further.
Other basic groceries have also become costlier over the past month. Basmati rice has risen by roughly ₹30 per kg to as high as ₹150 per kg, while arua (raw) rice has increased by about ₹15 per kg. Prices of pulses such as harada (pigeon pea) and moong dal have gone up by ₹5 to ₹10 per kg. Edible oils have followed suit, with mustard oil reaching ₹190 to ₹220 per litre, refined or sunflower oil around ₹180 per litre, and palm oil selling near ₹110 for a 610g pack.
Traders reported that both oil and sugar prices rose by about ₹10 per kg or litre within a single week.
Cumin prices have also climbed by nearly ₹20 to around ₹290 per kg.
Vegetable prices have risen sharply as well, adding further pressure on kitchen budgets. Onion, earlier available at around ₹40 per kg, has reached ₹50 per kg. Tomato is selling at about ₹80 per kg. Cabbage is priced at ₹30 per kg, carrot at ₹50, pointed gourd at ₹50, bitter gourd and brinjal at ₹50-60, ridge gourd at around ₹80, and both spine gourd and ginger at ₹200 per kg. Garlic has touched ₹240 per kg. Papaya has moved from ₹20 to ₹25 per kg, potato from ₹20 to ₹22, while beans from outside the state cost around ₹160 per kg and Koraput beans ₹80-100 per kg.
Kabiraj Swain, president of the Pariba Byabasayi Sangha at Unit-I market in Bhubaneswar, attributed the onion price rise to rainfall disrupting supplies from Nashik and warned that rates could climb further. He also linked higher prices of other vegetables to rainfall and supply problems. Recent floods in parts of the state have compounded the strain on household budgets.