Christmas just got dearer this year

The political turmoil in the state has not just thrown life out of gear, but has also made Christmas a penny-pinching affair this year. with prices of everything from sugar to milk shooting up, X’Mas in Hyderabad has just gotten dearer. And even for those who are willing to splurge, there’s bad news. The city now faces a huge shortage of eggs, butter and cream, sending eateries and bakeries into panic mode.

Bosco Malapatti, director of Ofen, admits he has a tough time juggling the increasing orders from customers with the diminishing supplies from wholesalers. “Orders are increasing due to the holiday season,” he says. “However, there are no eggs or cream available anywhere. Initially, egg prices increased from Rs 1.50 to Rs 3. But now, even though we are willing to pay a higher amount, there aren’t enough eggs available. We had to procure butter from Mumbai due to the shortage in Hyderabad. Cream is not available either.”

Mamta Pallam Raju, partner, Sweet Nirvana, faces the arduous task of scouring the city for dairy supplies as she is unable to get them from her usual suppliers. “Dairy products like milk, butter and cream are not available with our regular suppliers anymore,” she says. “So we were forced to look for alternatives and stock up as much as we can. We also end up buying them at double the prices from supermarkets.”

Chef Sateesh Krishnan of Fusion 9 faces similar problems. “There is a shortage of vegetables, pulses and meat in the market,” he says. “Since we acquire commodities through a contract, supply has not been a problem. But the prices have tripled. However, we cannot increase the prices in our menu. we have been getting several orders for parties, we are still trying to figure out how to deal with it.”

Vijay Ramnani, partner, Karachi Bakery, also admits that he is shelling out three times more to rustle up their Christmas specials.

“From sugar and butter to eggs, I’m paying extra for everything. This amounts to a big loss as we haven’t increased the prices of our products,” he adds.

Wholesale prices
Then Now
Butter Rs 150 Rs 180
per Kg
Eggs Rs 1.50 Rs 3.00
each
Flour Rs 7 Rs 18