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- India Sugar Price Hike | Retail Online Platforms Limit Purchase Quantity
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Just before the beginning of the festive season, due to decreasing supply of sugar and increasing prices across the country, quick-commerce platforms and retail stores have set purchase limits i.e. quantity limits for customers. Bigbasket, Blinkit, Zepto, Swiggy Instamart as well as big retail chains like DMart and Reliance Retail have banned the sale of more than 2 to 5 kg of sugar per customer at a time.
According to the data of the Consumer Affairs Department, the average retail price of sugar in the country reached Rs 65.05 per kg on August 26, which was around Rs 48 per kg a month ago i.e. on July 26. Retail prices have increased by about 35.5% in 1 month.
How many restrictions are there on online apps?
Blinkit is offering a limit of 5 kg per transaction on sugar packs of select brands in Delhi-NCR. On Swiggy Instamart, customers are able to order only two packets of 1 kg each or one packet of 5 kg.
On the other hand, some brands on BigBasket have a maximum limit of 6 kg per customer. Zepto has also launched limited sales at several locations to deal with stock shortage.
DMart and Reliance Retail also imposed capping
In the offline market, supermarkets like DMart and Reliance Retail have set a limit of 2 to 3 kg of sugar purchase per customer. According to a senior executive of a major Chinese brand, retailers are taking this step to prevent any possible hoarding and to make stock available to every customer. However, he clarified that there is no ‘stock-out’ of sugar in the country.
What is the limit on which app/store?
- Blinkit: Maximum 5 kg at one time
- Swiggy Instamart: 2 packets of 1 kg each or 1 pack of 5 kg
- BigBasket: Maximum 6 kg (different brands)
- DMart/Reliance: 2 to 3 kg per customer
Sugar became costlier by 34% in wholesale market also
Not only in retail, sugar prices have also increased rapidly in the wholesale market. Wholesale prices have increased from Rs 45 per kg to Rs 60.36 per kg. According to PIB data, sugar prices had increased by 16% between July 20 and August 20, which further increased till the last week of August.
3 main reasons for increasing prices and decreasing supply
- Estimate of decline in production: The Indian Sugar and Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA) has estimated the country’s net sugar production after ethanol blending to be around 279 lakh tonnes for the 2025-26 marketing year.
- Domestic demand high: The annual domestic consumption of sugar in India is about 280 to 285 lakh tonnes. There was an opening stock of around 50 lakh tonnes at the beginning of the session, but supply pressure has increased due to the fear of new production being less than consumption.
- Closing stock may be less: According to ISMA, by the end of September the closing stock in the country will reduce to just 35 lakh tonnes, which is much less than in previous years.
General budget will deteriorate during festive season
The demand for sweets and sugar-based dishes increases significantly during Rakshabandhan and upcoming festivals like Ganeshotsav, Navratri and Diwali. At such a time, the increase in sugar prices by up to Rs 17 per kg will directly affect the monthly ration budget of common families.
How did prices increase in 1 month?
- 26 July 2026: ₹48.00/kg
- 20 August 2026: ₹55.70/kg
- 26 August 2026: ₹65.05/kg
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