As if a rise in sugar prices was not enough, the soaring cost of brown sugar, shakkar and jaggery between 10 and 15 per cent in the past one month has put a dent in consumers’ pocket.Experts say the rising prices would have a severe impact on sweetmeat sellers.Sandeep Gupta, one of the leading grocers in the city, said a kilogram of sugar cost anything between Rs 54 and Rs 56.Earlier, the price was between Rs 46 and Rs 48.Shakkar’s price rose from Rs 80 to Rs 90, jaggery from Rs 80 to Rs 90 and brown sugar from Rs 75 to Rs 90.Gupta said the sudden jump in the prices of sugar and other products had left them wondering if essential items would remain affordable anymore.He stated that sugar diversion for ethanol production needed to be regulated by the government to keep sugar prices within a stable range. At the same time, the government must ensure that unsolicited persons should not be stocking up on sugar to sell it at higher prices.Rakesh Thukral, president of the Achaar Murabba Association, Punjab, said: “Apple has already started arriving in the market from adjoining hill states of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. There is always a high demand for apple murabba. “Consumers will have to shell out more to buy products having sugar as the main ingredient.”Sanket Kamboj, proprietor of a leading traditional sweetmeat outlet, ruled out any price rise in the cost of sweets at this juncture. There was no increase after the recent hike in dry fruit prices by about 7 per cent recently.RSS Kaler, professor, sugar technology, department of food science, Guru Nanak Dev University, said the country had surplus sugar stocks. “There is no shortage of sugar. Prices of sugarcane and labour charges have been increasing and the Punjab Government is paying the highest procurement price of sugarcane to farmers in the country,” he added.He said cost of sugar increased by Rs 7 to Rs 8 and it was good for the industry. “It will infuse liquidity in the sugarcane industry. Health awareness among consumers have driven them to cut down on sugar,” Kaler stated.