Sweetmeat sales in Cuttack see a surge

CUTTACK: Sweets are an essential part of Durga Puja celebrations and local sweets of Cuttack are no different.
After two years of Covid restrictions, sweetmeat makers are selling good amount of sweets during Durga puja this year. Sweets like khaja, kheera gaja, labanglatika, khaji, khajur, sira khajur and gehuraa are in much demand among customers.
"We did not see much sales in the last two years due to Covid. We have prepared 12 quintals of sweets this festive as we expect more customers," said Narayan Sahu, a sweetmeat maker in Khannagar area, whose family has been running the business since 1930s. "Traders from places like Bhubaneswar, Salipur, Choudwar, Jagatpur, Jagatsingpur and Tirtol come to Cuttack to buy our sweets," he added. "We are also supplying sweets to Khurda, Salipur, Kendrapada, Athagarh, Niali and other districts," said Manoranjan Sahu, another sweetmeat maker. "I am selling 1.2 quintals of sweets per day, which is 60% higher than last year. Prices range between Rs 150 and 250 per kilo, depending upon the quality," said Chandrakant Sahu, a sweet shop owner. "We share traditional sweets with family members, friends, relatives and community members. We also offer it to the goddess," said Purna Chandra Sahoo, an octogenarian resident of Sheikh Bazar.
"The festival is incomplete if traditional sweets like khaja and labanglatika are not offered to Maa Durga and distributed among our relatives," said Mousumi Mohanty, a devotee.