Pulses prices start easing as 82,000 tons seized from hoarders

New Delhi: Dal prices have started to ease, declining from peak of Rs 210 per kg to around Rs 190 on Tuesday even as many state governments continued to raid hoarders, seizing so far over 82,000 tonnes of pulses.

The seized stocks will be released in retail markets within a week, which will further help cool down prices.

Meanwhile, the daily monitoring of the price situation continued on Tuesday with Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha reviewing the evolving scenario.

"Under de-hoarding operations, 8,394 raids have been conducted so far and 82,462.53 tonnes pulses have been seized across the states," an official statement said on Tuesday.

Due to the seizure of pulses in 12 states, prices have started showing a downward trend, a senior Consumer Affairs Ministry official said.

Retail prices of tur dal slipped below Rs 210 per kg and was quoted around Rs 190 on Tuesday, while wholesale price of the commodity declined to Rs 181, according to the data maintained by the Consumer Affairs Ministry.

Retail tur prices showed a sharp decline in Puducherry, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Ranchi, Bengaluru, while there was marginal fall in rates in Mengaluru, Mumbai, Trirunelveli and Chennai.

Urad prices dropped by up to Rs 8 per kg in both retail and wholesale markets across the country. Retail price of urad was Rs 190, while it was Rs 180 in the wholesale market.

According to the official, a maximum quantity of 57,455 tonnes pulses was confiscated from Maharashtra due to which tur dal prices in Mumbai wholesale markets fell to Rs 152 per kg from Rs 200 a kg a week ago, though its impact is yet to peculate into retail markets.

As per the ministry data, 4,932 tonnes of pulses have been seized in Chhattisgarh, 2,370 tonnes in Madhya Pradesh, 3,330 tonnes in Rajasthan and 2,189 tonnes in Haryana so far.

The statement further said that "more states have started selling pulses through government/cooperative outlets. Prices in the retail market have also registered declining trends." As the pulses crisis escalated, the Centre had stepped up

the countrywide crackdown on hoarders and black-marketeers to boost domestic supply and control prices. It has taken several other steps to improve domestic supply of pulses.

Meanwhile, four state governments including Gujarat have started selling tur dal at a lower price of Rs 120-145 per kg at retail points to provide relief to common man.

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are also distributing one kg of tur dal at a highly subsidised rate of Rs 50 through ration shops, while Tamil Nadu is selling urad and Canadian lentils at Rs 30 per kg to all consumers.

Pulses prices have risen across the country due to shortfall in domestic output by two million tonnes in 2014-15 due to poor rains. There is also global shortage of lentils.