As the holiday season gets underway, Americans are preparing to spend big on baking ingredients. Butter consumption, for example, grew 16% last November and December compared to the rest of 2023, according to USDA data. On average, Americans consumed 6.5 pounds of butter last year, a number that's been on the rise.
During the summer season, as mercury levels went up, beans touched one of its all-time highs with a kilogram of the vegetable costing over ₹200 per kg in retail markets. While farmers reported that they only got 30-40% of their usual yield, supply in markets had dropped by 70%. Beans continued to sell at over ₹100 per kg for a few months before it came down to ₹40 - 50 per kg.