As The festive season approaches, clouds of uncertainty are looming over the Soan Papdi making industry. The golden melt-in-your-mouth delicacy, that remains an indispensable part of Indian festivities, is witnessing a sharp surge in prices. Following the recent hike in prices of sugar, one of the main ingredient for making the delicacy, many manufacturers are also opting for production cut. Manufacturers said that they are producing about 20 per cent less in the current scenario. What has long been celebrated as the most affordable and beloved sweet for middle-class households is rapidly becoming a costly affair, driven by an unprecedented volatility in primary raw material costs. The Soan Papdi manufacturing industry comprising more than 150 units in the city, has been hit hard by the dramatic increase in sugar prices in the last 45 to 50 days.

 

Sugar, required to give the delicacy its classic texture and sweetness, has seen a staggering 60 to 70 per cent price surge during this short period. In the wholesale market, sugar prices have jumped from Rs 45-50 per kg to Rs 70-72 per kg in the wholesale market. Accordingly, the prices of Soan Papdi have also surged from Rs 150–180 per kg to Rs 180–220 per kg in the wholesale. Nagpur serves as the prominent hub of Soan Papdi manufacturing, housing over 150 production units that supply the delicacy across the nation and export it internationally. However, local manufacturers are currently struggling under extreme market uncertainty.

 

Highlighting the crisis, Laxmikant Patil, Secretary of the Nagpur Soan Papdi Manufacturers Association, stated that high volatility in sugar prices has severely disrupted operations. According to Patil, most of the manufacturing units have been forced to slash their production over the last couple of weeks. The crisis has been further complicated by unstable market trends. While manufacturers initially reduced output due to skyrocketing costs, a sudden dip of roughly Rs 8 per kg in sugar prices created widespread confusion. Wary of further unpredictable shifts, manufacturers are shying away from maintaining large stocks of the finished product. This operational slowdown comes at the worst possible time for the industry. Typically, to meet the massive surge in consumer demand during upcoming festivals, manufacturers scale up Soan Papdi production by 50 to 60 per cent. With production currently curtailed and input costs remaining unpredictable, both manufacturers and sweet lovers are bracing for a challenging, expensive festive season ahead.