Oil's not well Home budget goes from frying pan to fire

Even as households struggle with the consistently high vegetable prices, the soaring cost of edible oil has further strained monthly budgets; prices have seen an increase of Rs 500 to Rs 600 in just 2 months

- Sonali.Mistry

As Ahmedabad gears up for Diwali, the festive spirit is dampened by soaring edible oil prices, leaving homemakers struggling to balance their budgets. The price hike is making it difficult for many families to prepare traditional Diwali snacks, usually a festive staple. With vegetable prices already high, the added burden of rising oil costs comes as a double whammy squeezing middle-class families.

"The price of a 15-kg oil tin was around Rs 1,600 two months ago. Now, it has skyrocketed to around Rs 2,200," explains Amit Panchal (name changed), a local edible oil retailer.

"Cottonseed oil, groundnut oil, palmolein oil and other refined oils have all seen an increase of Rs 500 to Rs 600 in the past two months," he adds.

Slight dip, but no real relief