As schools across the city are reopening, parents are bearing the brunt of stationery inflation. Parents have to shell out almost 50 per cent more on school supplies and stationery items. Parents and shopkeepers said there has been a noticeable increase of 35 per cent to 50 per cent in the prices of notebooks, textbooks and papers while pens and pencils are 20-30 per cent more expensive. To add to this, there is also a shortage of books and other items in the market.

Dealers say one of the major reasons is the price hike of raw materials. The price of plastic grains has risen from Rs 80 per kg in 2019 to Rs 160-Rs 170 per kg now. Similarly, the price of paper has risen from Rs 50 per kg in 2019 to Rs 85 per kg. Shashank Shah, owner of Jayant Printery, said, “The industry is now facing a serious supply chain issue, given India imports a large part of its printing raw material or pulp from Russia. Since the Russia-Ukraine war, the supply chain has been restricted.” This has also impacted the price of textbooks. Books by private publishers which used to cost Rs 300-Rs 325 are now priced at Rs 400.