Union Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said on Friday that prices of arhar, gram and urad pulses are likely to moderate from next month due to expectations of a good monsoon and increase in imports. Along with this, Khare said that there is no need to panic about the price of dal. He said that the import of these three pulses will also increase from next month which will help increase the domestic supply.
What does the government say?
Khare told reporters here, “Prices of tuvar, gram and urad dal have been stable in the last six months, but at a high level. The price situation of mung beans and lentils is satisfactory.” On June 13, the average retail price of gram dal was Rs 87.74 per kg, tuwer dal was Rs 160.75 per kg, urad dal was Rs 126.67 per kg, magna dal was Rs 118.9 per kg and lentil dal was Rs 94.34 per kg.
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The Department of Consumer Affairs has collected retail prices of food from 550 major consumer centers in the country under pulse cultivation. He said that the government is trying to provide better seeds to the farmers.
Khare said the government will take all necessary steps to increase local availability and keep retail prices under control. He said that the government’s plan to sell ‘Bharat Chanani Dal’ at Rs 60 per kg is giving relief to the common man. “We are leaving no stone unturned to promote domestic availability,” he asserted.
The secretary said his department is in constant touch with global suppliers as well as local retailers, wholesalers and major retail chains to promote imports so that there is no hoarding. India imported around eight lakh tonnes of tuvar and six lakh tonnes of urad in the last financial year. Beans are mainly exported to India from Myanmar and African countries.
Tuwer production in crop year 2023-24 (July-June) was 33.85 lakh tonnes while consumption is estimated at 44-45 lakh tonnes. Production of gram was 115.76 lakh tonnes while 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 filled by imports.
In terms of vegetables too, Khare said monsoon rains will have a positive impact on retail prices. He said that 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 processes.