Pune Diwali shopping brisk despite sweets and faral costing 8 to 10 per cent more

With Diwali only days away, crowds are building up in Pune's markets. Prices of raw material, dry fruits and edible oil have risen this year, and as a result sweets and traditional faral are costing 8 to 10 per cent more. Even so, Punekars have set inflation aside and carried on with festival shopping, and enthusiasm among customers at sweet shops remains high.

Sweets made from dry fruits have seen the sharpest increase. Last year they sold at about Rs 1,440 a kg, and this year the price has reached Rs 1,600 a kg, a rise of 11.11 per cent as given in the price table. Sweets such as mawa katli and mango katli have gone up from Rs 828 to about Rs 900 a kg, an increase of 8.70 per cent.

Faral items have also become costlier. Chakli, sev, shankarpali and chivda earlier sold at Rs 442 to Rs 552 a kg. Their prices have now reached Rs 480 to Rs 600 a kg. The minimum price of traditional faral is reported to have risen by 8.60 per cent and the maximum price by 8.70 per cent.

The starting price of gift combo packs has gone up from Rs 275 to Rs 299, a rise of 8.73 per cent. The upper price of these packs was between Rs 1,564 and Rs 1,656 last year and is between Rs 1,700 and Rs 1,800 this year, an increase reported at about 8.7 per cent.

Raw material costs have risen by 25 to 30 per cent this year, while dry fruit prices are up 35 to 40 per cent. This is why sweet prices had to be raised by 8 to 10 per cent. Even so, customers are responding well, and large numbers are also coming in to place advance bookings for sweets.

Inflation has strained shopping budgets, but the joy of the festival has not diminished. Customer Sushmita Thorat said, "Even when prices are high, one has to shop for the festival, otherwise what difference will there be between a festival and an ordinary day?" Pooja Divekar said that despite the rise in prices she is buying sweets and faral to celebrate with her family. On the whole, there is an air of enthusiasm in the market over Diwali shopping this year.

Amit Anil Gadve, partner at Kaka Halwai Sweets, Pune, is named in the report.