Bengaluru, 2 May

The rise in sweltering heat across Bengaluru has taken its toll on the sugarcane juice sold along the roadside in the City. The price of a glass (250 ml) of sugarcane, which was around Rs 15 two weeks ago, is now sold at Rs 25 in parts of the City.

The price of sugarcane juice have gone up in the last two weeks due to the rise in demand and the shortage of sugarcane supply to the City, said M Selvaraj, a sugarcane juice vendor in Frazer Town. There is a shortage of supply of sugarcane to the market from the producers in Mysuru and Mandya. “The producers supply them in large quantities to the sugar mills and what comes to us here in the City is only thinner stalks of the cane. A bundle of 10 stalks of sugarcane, which cost Rs 250 to Rs 300, is now sold for nearly Rs 400 and we have been forced to increase the prices,’’ Selvaraj said.

“The sugarcane juice is a natural coolant. Its extract is deemed as one of the fresher options as the juice is extracted in front of the customer and served in no time without water, making it a safe option to cool off in the summer, said Pratham David, a regular consumer of the cane juice.

Manjunath Gowda, a street vendor in Jayanagar 4th block who has a steady stream of visitors to his shop during the summer, said: “The vendors here in Bengaluru prefer varieties from Mandya, Mysuru and Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu as the sugar cane is mellower and sweeter. We have to maintain the quality and add ginger and a slice of pineapple to make the drink more enjoyable to quench the thirst.  We, locals, are facing huge competition from outsiders across the City and getting a spot along the roadside is the biggest challenge for all of us,’’ he said. —Salar News