Bhopal: People in state capital with a sweet tooth are digging deeper into their pockets because of rampant increase in prices of sweets. This is due to the fact that there is no regulatory authority to keep a check on prices.
While sellers blame it on the rise in prices of milk, sugar, demonetisation and GST, the hapless buyers are paying through the nose. The main cause of the price rises, disclosed by the traders, has been the rise in price of raw ingredients like sugar, milk and dry fruits. They also said the prices of sweets depend on the quality accommodation and location the sweet shops.
The sweets are being sold at different rates in different localities in the city. The price of sweets including Badam Pista Laddu, Badam Katli, Kaju Dry Fruit Barfi is Rs 1200 per kg in Manohar Dairy & Restaurant, Hamidia Road. In the same shop the price of Anjeer Badam Chikki is Rs 1100 per kg while the price of Anjeer Katali, Kaju Kesar Katali, Kaju Roll, Kaju Gup-Chup is Rs 1020 per kg.
In Gagar Sweets Shop, New Market, the rate of Anjeer Pista and Natural Badam is Rs 1200 and 1100 per kg respectively. The price of Anjeer Sugar is Rs 1200 in Chhapan Bhog, New Market, while the price of Anjeer Barfi is Rs 1000 in Ahuja Sweets Shop, New Market. The price of Boondi Laddo and Besan Laddo in Barfi House, Hamidia Road is Rs 340 and Rs 200 per kg respectively while the price of the same sweets is Rs 400 in Brajwasi and Ahuja Sweets Shop, New Market. The price of Aata Laddo is Rs 400 per kg.
Pankaj, owner of Gagar Sweets Shop, New Market, told Free Press, “Every sweets shop has its own formula and they fix the rate of the sweets as per the formula. The price of sweets is also based on ingredients like sugar, milk and dry fruits.”
“We hike the price of sweets when the administration increases the rate of milk. We have Sweets Association but no regulatory authority to control the rate of sweets. Yes, it is true that there are different prices of the same sweets in different shops in the city. Collector has power to check the price sweets,” said Raju Bhai, owner of Annpurna Sweets Shop, New Market.
Ankit Soni, owner of Milan Sweets and Namkeen Shop, MP Nagar Zone 1, said, “The prices of sweets depend on raw materials. We hike the price when the rate of ingredients increases. There is marginal difference in rate of sweets from one shop to another. GST and demonetisation are also reason of rise in prices.”
“The prices of sweets depend on the on the quality accommodation and location the sweet shops,” said Raj Singh, a staff member of Barfi House, Hamidia Road.
Nitin Ahuja, owner of Ahuja Sweets, New Market, said, “The prices of sweets depend on the milk products. We hike its price when the price of milk increases. It also depends on brand.”
Yes, there should be a regulatory authority to control the price of sweets. There is no monitoring system for this.
Ramesh Sharma, president of Sweets Association, Bhopal
