Lucknow: Seeking to deflect Opposition attack over high prices of pulses, Union Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Sunday attributed it to poor rainfall and reduced imports during the last two years.
“Several factors have led to the rise in price of pulses. Rainfall was low during the last two years, causing damage to crops. Besides, import was less,” he said at a press conference here.
Paswan said last year, pulse production was 171 lakh tonnes whereas the requirement was 226 lakh tonnes. This year, the requirement has been pegged at 236 lakh tonnes. He further said private importers had imported lesser quantity of pulses than what was needed, due to which prices rose.
“Now the Centre has created a buffer stock,” he said, adding the State governments would get pulses from the Centre at Rs. 66 a kg for arhar and Rs. 83 a kg for urad. It is for the States to supply the commodity within a price ceiling of Rs. 120, he added.