Om Prakash a 33-years-old man, for who lunch and dinner used to remain incomplete without sweets, now often have his meal without it. He said that for last two months he has been away from rasagullas and the credit for this goes to the soaring prices.
In the past five years prices of sweets have gone up to such an extent that sweet-lovers are forced to curtail their desire. The custom during festivities to gift variety of sweets as a token of wishes to near and dear ones seem to have been replaced by dry-fruits and chocolates.
Diwali is round the corner and sweet-makers have made varieties of delicious sweets of attractive shapes and colours but the problem is that their efforts are not attracting local customers.
According Pramod Sharma, Owner of city’s famous sweet-shop Churuwala sale of sweets has dipped up to 50-60 per cent. On festive occasions earlier our sales use to be on peak but now things have changed.
Echoing similar, another sweets-seller Kush Bhatia said, “Due to continuous increase in prices of common commodities it became obligatory for us to raise prices. It has now become an old version that sweet-lovers will have sweets irrespective of their prices.”
If one compares the prices of sweets from past five years one would find that the prices have gone upto three times. Common items such as ladoos which were available at Rs120 per kg are now on hand at Rs 300- Rs350 per kg, Small rasgullas were available at Rs4 per piece and now its price is Rs10 and bigger ones from Rs7 have climbed up to Rs15, Barfis cost Rs480 a kg, Milk-cake Rs340 per kg, Besan ladoos Rs240 per kg. If anyone wishes to have fancy sweets then it will pinch their pocket more. Kaaju rolls are worth Rs580 per kg, Potli pista will cost Rs540 per kg and kaaju pizza is of Rs580 per kg.
Siya Devi who came for her diwali shopping said, “In this economic downturn, my priorities are my necessities rather than luxury. Sweets are appearing bitter to me after hearing their prices. I have purchased only ladoos and that too for puja purpose.”