Delhi, Bengal consume most sweets in India; Rajasthan top consumer of papad

Indian festivals are incomplete without sweets. India is the top consumer of sweets as it accounts for 35 per cent of total consumption. In this, Delhi leads the list with 9.8 per cent of the total sweet consumption, followed by West Bengal, according to an analysis by Frost & Sullivan reported in the Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar. 

The analysis also states that Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir are least fond of sweets. 

In 2021, the sweet market in India stood at Rs 58,900 crore, the analysis states. The sweet market in the country is estimated to reach Rs 84,300 crore by 2025 as is expected to grow at a rate of 9.3 per cent annually, the study adds, according to Bhaskar. 

Eleven Indian states account for 74.5 per cent of consumption of sweets in India, with Delhi at 9.8 per cent, followed by West Bengal at 9.2 per cent, Gujarat at 8.3 per cent, Uttar Pradesh at 8 per cent, Maharashtra at 7.1 per cent, Rajasthan and Bihar at 7 per cent each, Madhya Pradesh at 6.6 per cent, Punjab at 5.2 per cent, Haryana at 3.5 per cent, and Jharkhand at 2.8 per cent, the DB report states.

Meanwhile, the states that consume sweets the least are Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir at 0.3 per cent each.

According to Frost & Sullivan, only 10 per cent of India's sweet business is organised. 

In 2021, the share of milk-derived sweets in the organised sweet market of Rs 5,600 crore was 28 per cent, followed by Soan Papdi at 21 per cent and dry fruits at 17 per cent. 

Meanwhile, in terms of the consumption of papad, Rajasthan is the top consumer state of papad in India, followed by Gujarat, according to the study, the Hindi daily reports, quoting the analysis. 

On the other hand, at 39 per cent, North India is the top most region to consume papad in the country. 

The annual turnover of papad in the country is Rs 7,400 crore, however, 68 per cent of this comes from the unorganised sector, states the analysis.  

The organised papad business in the country is currently worth Rs 2,300 crores. It is expected to increase to Rs 3,400 crores by 2025, states the report. 

While Rajasthan at 11.4 per cent is the top consumer of papad in India, it is followed by Gujarat at 10.6 per cent, Madhya Pradesh at 8.6 per cent, Maharashtra at 8 per cent, Delhi at 6.5 per cent, Punjab and Haryana at 5.7 per cent each, Uttar Pradesh at 4.6 per cent, West Bengal at 3.1 per cent, Bihar at 2.9 per cent, and Jharkhand at 1.8 per cent. 

Meanwhile, in Jammu and Kashmir, the papad consumption is at 0.4 per cent. 

On the other hand, sweets and papad consumption in South India stand at 12.7 per cent and 15.4 per cent, respectively.