Prices of sugar, rice and other essential commodities surge ahead of festive season

A wholesale trader in Hyderabad listed the increased prices of pulses. The image is used for representative purposes only. | Photo Credit: RAMAKRISHNA G

As India gets into the festive mode of Dasara and Deepavali, there is a double-digit price surge in some of the key ingredients that form part of the sweets and snacks cooked up by homemakers and sweet shop owners. Year-on-year data from the Department Of Consumer Affairs, that tracks the retail price information nationally, shows that prices of essential commodities like sugar, rice, sunflower oil, jaggery, chillies and soybean oil have gone up in a big way.

The price rise is across the board. Onion prices are up by 97.8%, sugar by 23.4%, sunflower oil by 16.9%, jaggery by 15.7%, tur dal by 13.5%, chillies (whole) by 11.5% and rice by 10.1%. 

The price of onion has nearly doubled from ₹26.64 per kg on October 15, 2025 to ₹52.68 on October 15, 2026.