LUCKNOW, Aug. 27 -- A mixed trend is visible in the sweets market ahead of Raksha Bandhan. Despite a surge in the cost of ingredients needed for sweets, some shop owners are absorbing the pressure, deferring major price revisions until Diwali. A few others, however, said they had no choice but to increase the rates immediately.

The owners of major sweet shops unanimously said the market is dealing with an increase in prices of key ingredients. The sugar price has increased from Rs.45 to Rs.66-70 per kg. Silver foil prices surged from Rs.800 to Rs.1,800 per handful of sheets. Almonds and pistachios saw an increase from Rs.700-800 to Rs.1,000-1,200 and Rs.3,000 to Rs.4,000 per kg, respectively. Additionally, the price of commercial LPG cyl...