Dabur says Gulf war inflation erodes GST cut gains, forces 4% price hike

CEO Mohit Malhotra flags 10% input inflation in April-May from Middle East conflict, neutralizing GST relief. Dabur counters with grammage cuts, value growth push, and ₹500 cr D2C acquisition platform. Q4 net profit ₹369 cr (+15% YoY), sales ₹3,038 cr (+7%); rural outpaced urban by 350 bps.

— Source publishedMon, 18 May, 2026, 00:24 IST·First seen Mon, 18 May, 2026, 00:28 IST·Source ET Small Business

What happened

Dabur CEO Mohit Malhotra says Middle East war-driven inflation (10% in April-May) has eroded GST cut benefits, forcing 4% price hikes and grammage cuts. Company

Key facts

  • GST flat 5%
  • inflation 10% April-May
  • price hike 4%
  • Q4 net profit ₹369 cr +15% YoY
  • net sales ₹3,038 cr +7%
  • overseas 26% of sales
  • total sales ₹13,200 cr
  • rural outpaced urban 350 bps
  • Dabur Ventures ₹500 cr
  • petrol/diesel +₹3/litre
  • LPG +60%

Why this matters

The ₹500 cr D2C acquisition platform is the real story—Dabur is buying digital-native growth to hedge margin pressure in legacy FMCG, so map adjacent personal-care and ayurveda targets before valuations reset.