Union Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said on Friday that the prices of arhar, gram and urad pulses are likely to soften from next month on expectations of a good monsoon and increased imports. Along with this, Khare said that there is no need to panic about the prices of pulses. He said that from next month the import of these three pulses will also increase which will help in increasing the domestic supply.
What does the government say?
Khare told reporters here, “In the last six months, prices of tur, gram and urad pulses have remained stable but remain at high levels. The price situation of moong and masoor pulses is satisfactory.” On June 13, the average retail price of chana dal was Rs 87.74 per kg, tur (tur) dal Rs 160.75 per kg, urad dal Rs 126.67 per kg, moong dal Rs 118.9 per kg and masoor dal Rs 94.34 per kg.
Hyundai is bringing the country’s biggest IPO, preparing to raise ₹25000 crore
The Department of Consumer Affairs collects retail prices of food products from 550 major consumer centers in the country. Khare said, “The prices of tur, urad and gram are likely to soften from July.” It has predicted normal monsoon rains which will significantly improve the area under pulses cultivation. He said that the government is trying to provide better seeds to the farmers.
Khare said the government will take all necessary measures to increase domestic availability and keep retail prices under control. He highlighted that the government’s scheme to sell ‘Bharat Chana Dal’ at Rs 60 per kg is providing relief to the common man. “We are leaving no stone unturned in promoting domestic availability,” he stressed.
The secretary said his department is in constant touch with global suppliers as well as domestic retailers, wholesalers and large retail chains to promote imports to ensure that there is no hoarding. India imported about eight lakh tonnes of tur and six lakh tonnes of urad in the last financial year. Pulses are mainly exported to India from Myanmar and African countries.
The production of tur in the crop year 2023-24 (July-June) was 33.85 lakh tonnes while the consumption is estimated at 44-45 lakh tonnes. The production of gram was 115.76 lakh tonnes while the demand was 119 lakh tonnes. In case of urad, production was 23 lakh tonnes while consumption is estimated at 33 lakh tonnes. The gap between demand and supply is met through imports.
In the case of vegetables too, Khare said that monsoon rains will have a positive impact on retail prices. He said the demand for potatoes has increased as the heat has affected the crop of green vegetables. The government has started procurement of onion for buffer stock and 35,000 tonnes of onion has already been procured. The government is also making efforts to extend the shelf life of onions through cold storage and irradiation process.
