Kaju Katli, Barfi: Rising Silver Prices Dull The Shine On Mithai As Sweetmakers Cut Back On Vark

A sharp surge in silver prices is beginning to bite India’s traditional sweets industry, forcing mithai makers to rethink the use of vark, the delicate edible silver foil that gives a premium sheen to popular confections such as kaju katli and barfi.

According to The Economic Times, the price of silver vark has nearly doubled this year to around Rs 1,400 for 150 sheets, prompting many sweetmakers to swap the silver garnish for alternatives like pistachio and saffron. The shift has led to a 25-30 per cent drop in demand for silver vark from Rakshabandhan through the recently concluded wedding season.

The slowdown has coincided with a sharp rally in silver prices. Data from the India Bullion & Jewellers Association shows that silver has climbed

from Rs 86,005 per kg on January 1 to Rs over Rs 2 lakh per kg how.

Arik Jain, managing director of Ahmedabad-based Jainam Silver Products, told The Economic Times that silver prices have risen steeply over the past six months, forcing manufacturers to double the cost of silver vark. As a result, many mithai makers who traditionally relied on vark are now turning to dry fruits to enhance the appearance of sweets, he said.

Vark is an ultra-thin filigree foil made from pure metal, most commonly silver, though gold is also used in select cases. While it is closely associated with North Indian sweets, The Economic Times noted that its use spans the country. Firoz Haider Naqvi, director-general of the Federation of Sweets and Namkeen Manufacturers, said consumers in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar perceive sweets topped with silver vark as being of superior quality.

With input costs rising, several sweetmakers raised prices by 5-10 per cent after Diwali, while others chose to absorb the higher costs to avoid losing customers, the paper reported. Bharat Agarwal, director of Delhi-based Shyam Sweets, told The Economic Times that the company has stopped using silver vark altogether, switching to dry fruits as shrinking margins make the foil uneconomical.

Some confectioners are also cutting back on the quantity of vark used per sweet. Naqvi told The Economic Times that many shops have shifted from manual application to automated processes, enabling them to apply thinner layers of silver foil more efficiently.

Demand for gold vark, however, remains resilient among affluent buyers, particularly during festivals and weddings. According to The Economic Times, one kg of sweets garnished with gold vark can cost between Rs 25,000 and Rs 50,000, while a similar quantity of kaju katli with silver vark typically sells for Rs 1,800-Rs 2,000 in markets such as Delhi and Mumbai.