With Raksha Bandhan approaching and household demand for sugar expected to rise, consumers are reportedly facing tighter availability of the staple across
both online and offline retail channels. Several major grocery platforms and retail chains have reportedly introduced purchase limits on sugar packs as stocks come under pressure. Reports suggest some of the biggest retailers have capped the quantity of sugar a consumer can purchase at around two or three kgs per person. Additionally, e-commerce companies are also doing the same. The supply constraints are evidently visible on e-commerce and quick-commerce platforms. A check of Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart and Zepto on Thursday morning showed that several sugar brands were subject to purchase limits, with customers generally allowed to buy no more than two or three units. According to checks by Times Now Digital, Zepto was allowing customers to purchase a maximum of two 1-kg packs of Fortune sugar on Thursday morning. A similar purchase limit was observed on Swiggy Instamart, where shoppers could order only two packs of Supreme Harvest Crystal Sugar in a single transaction. On Blinkit, attempts to add more than three packs of sugar from different brands triggered a notification stating, “Sorry, we have limited quantity available for this item.” Times Now Digital has reached out to Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart for their responses. The story will be updated once their responses are received. The tightening of retail supplies comes as India's sugar inventories have declined considerably. Analysts at Crisil Intelligence estimate that closing stocks for the 2026 sugar season, which runs from October to September, will be around 3.9 million metric tonnes (MMT). That would represent a decline of approximately 25 per cent from the previous year and leave inventories around 40 per cent below the five-year average of 6.5 MMT. The depleted stock position has prompted the government to permit imports of 10 lakh tonnes of raw sugar. The move marks the first time in nearly a decade that such imports have been allowed, highlighting the pressure on domestic availability. Sugar Prices Jump 29% In A Month Lower inventories have already translated into higher retail prices. Earlier this week, the average all-India retail price of sugar was around Rs 63 per kg, compared with Rs 48.7 per kg a month earlier. This represents an increase of roughly 29 per cent in just one month. The price rise comes at a particularly sensitive time for consumers, as sugar demand typically increases during the festive period. Households purchasing ingredients for sweets and other festive preparations could therefore face higher expenses in the coming weeks. Businesses are also likely to feel the impact. Companies already dealing with higher commodity costs triggered by the war are now facing additional pressure from rising sugar prices. Prices May Remain Elevated Through August-September The government's decision to permit imports is expected to provide some relief, but analysts believe prices could remain under pressure in the near term. Crisil Intelligence expects sugar prices to continue rising through August and September. Although its estimate for the average price increase has been revised to around 7 per cent from an earlier projection of 9 per cent, the forecast still points to sustained upward pressure despite the approval of imports.
