Al Jazeera English ·
‘Poor bear the impact’: Sugar prices soar in India, souring festive season
India is one of the world's largest sugar consumers, but usually produces much more.
Jai Krishan, a 43-year-old labourer from Bihar in northern India, has saved 15,000 rupees ($160) to travel home from Indian-administered Kashmir, where he works, to celebrate Diwali with his family in November.
Each year, he buys boxes of sweets — laddu, barfi and kaju katli — to take home as gifts for his family and friends. He spends about $35 just on sweets for Diwali, he says, as he prepares afternoon tea for himself and his roommates in their rented accommodation in the Hawal area of Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir’s largest city.
“For someone from a lower-middle-class family, this is a lot of money. But Diwali is one of the most important festivals for Hindus and you cannot skip celebrating it,” he says.
