The Commerce Ministry has been asked to direct trading firms such as MMTC and STC to start importing dal in order to boost domestic supply. The Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan has notified the Commerce Ministry to take necessary step on fear that dal prices will rise next year too. The Agriculture Ministry has also been intimated to make available sufficient funds from the Price Stabilization Fund (PSF).
The prices of pulses in the retail markets had crossed Rs 200 per kg in October due to fall in domestic output by 2 million tonnes (MT) to 17.2 MT in the 2014-15 crop year on account of poor and unseasonal rains. Though the retail prices of pulses have cooled down from the peak level on account of government’s intervention but it is still ruling high at Rs 170-180 per kg.
India is the world’s largest producer of pulses, but still has to import 4-5 MT to meet its growing domestic demand. The country imported 2.23 MT of pulses in the first half of 2015-16.