Pune: With Diwali festivities set to begin on Monday (October 28), the Pune grain market has seen a notable increase in trade activity, driven by consumer demand for snacks and ingredients essential for traditional Diwali treats.

This surge has drawn both shopkeepers and individual consumers in significant numbers. However, prices for a few staple items, including moth beans, chickpea dal, gram flour, and sugar, have experienced a decline due to lower-than-anticipated demand.

Last week, moth beans and moth dal experienced a considerable price drop, a trend continuing into the festival week. Sugar prices have also seen a downward trend, attributed to a robust supply in the market but minimal consumer uptake.

Last week, sugar prices fell further by ₹25 per quintal. Similarly, powdered sugar has shown only moderate demand, indicating a dip in consumption.

With the bulk of Diwali shopping nearly concluded, the demand for jaggery has also slowed, keeping prices mostly stable. However, pulses have generally seen a price reduction, with only tur dal witnessing a slight increase due to limited supply.

In contrast, chickpea dal prices declined by ₹300 per quintal amid low demand. In Rajasthan, moth beans have enjoyed a successful harvest season, with increased production levels.

This influx of stock has triggered a price drop across various moth bean varieties, including local, polished, and Selam moth beans, with a reduction of ₹500 per quintal noted last week. Over the past month, moth bean prices have fallen by ₹1,000 to ₹1,500 per quintal.

There has been no significant price fluctuation for staple grains like wheat, sorghum, millet, and rice. Meanwhile, NAFED has released older shelled coconut stocks into the market, though these have shown a high defect rate, leading to a drop in prices for lower-quality coconuts.

Despite this, Rajapuri coconuts, considered a premium variety, remain in short supply, maintaining higher prices.

Peanut prices have seen a decrease of ₹200 per quintal as fresh stock from Karnataka and Gujarat enters the market. Edible oils are in demand but to a lesser extent compared to typical Diwali levels.

The supply increase in soybean and cottonseed has contributed to a ₹25 reduction per 15 kg tin in soybean and cottonseed oil prices. However, delays in importing palm and sunflower oil due to geopolitical factors have pushed the costs up by ₹25 per 15 kg tin.

Prices of vegetable ghee and coconut oil have remained steady throughout.