Daily essentials including soaps, biscuits, detergents, packaged foods and beverages are set to become more expensive, as major FMCG companies signal further price hikes amid rising crude-linked inflation, higher packaging costs and global supply chain disruptions.
Several leading companies have already implemented price increases of 3-5% and are preparing for additional rounds, citing volatile crude oil prices, currency depreciation and elevated logistics costs.
Dabur India Global CEO Mohit Malhotra said the company is already facing 10% inflation this fiscal year and has responded with targeted hikes. “We have already implemented a 4% price increase across different parts of the business to partly mitigate this impact,” he said, adding that double-digit growth is still expected for the year.
Britannia MD and CEO Rakshit Hargave confirmed the biscuit maker will raise prices selectively, including grammage reductions on smaller packs. “Yes, selectively, we will have to take price increases,” he said, citing a nearly 20% surge in fuel and packaging costs.
HUL CFO Niranjan Gupta said the company has absorbed 8-10% cost inflation and has taken price hikes of 2-5% across portfolios, warning further increases remain on the table depending on commodity trends.
Pidilite Industries MD Sudhanshu Vats said the company, having already hiked prices twice this year, is evaluating further increases after a 40-50% weighted average surge in input costs.
In beverages, Varun Beverages chairperson Ravi Jaipuria noted that several players have begun cutting discounts rather than raising prices outright, though further action could follow if fuel costs climb. Marico MD Saugata Gupta said the company has taken hikes of around 6-7% in its hair oils portfolio. Tata Consumer Products MD Sunil D’Souza called margin pressures manageable for now, while Nestle India CMD Manish Tiwary flagged growing uncertainty, calling the situation “a little bit of a yellow flag in the future.”