Sugar retail prices down 10% ahead of festive season, govt eases stock cap

NEW DELHI: Ahead of the festive season, Centre Friday relaxed the stockholding limit for bulk sugar consumers, allowing them to hold sugar for up to 30 days instead of the existing 15 days, as retail prices have eased by nearly 10% over the past three weeks.The move comes at a time when the retail price of sugar has fallen from around Rs 65 per kg to Rs 58.5 per kg, while demand is expected to rise during the festival season.However, the food department indicated to industry that the decline in retail prices had not kept pace with the sharp fall in ex-mill prices. It noted that while ex-mill sugar prices have dropped by nearly 25%, the benefit has not been fully passed on to consumers through the supply chain.