Unlikely to rise further as the government allowed imports, release stock held by Nafed
Mumbai: With its price shot up sharply in the last few weeks, tur dal has started slipping out of consumers’ plate steadily.
Data compiled by the Union Ministry of Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution showed the maximum tur dal prices across the country is at Rs 110 a kg on higher side and average or model price works out to Rs 90 a kg as on June 14, 2019. In south Indian markets also, tur dal is trading at above Rs 100 a kg.
At an average national price of Rs 90 a kg in the retail market, it shows jump by 20 per cent in the last two months.
“There has been a shortage of tur availability in the market due to lower output last year and higher procurement by government agencies including Nafed. But, the price increase is temporary. With the government being pro-active this time, tur dal prices are unlikely to move further up from this level,” said SP Goenka, Director U Goenka & Sons, a city-based pulses importer and traders.
Along with tur dal, the whole grain (tur) price has also shot up steadily to trade at above the threshold of minimum support price of Rs 58.50 a kg.
Prices of tur and tur dal have remained subdued and many times below MSP for nearly two years due to higher supply.
Through the Second Advanced Estimates, the Union Ministry of Agriculture has forecast India’s total tur output at 3.68 million tonnes for 2018-19 compared to 4.02 million tonnes of its production reported last year and 4.87 million tonnes in the previous year. Its production was impacted badly in the drought-hit states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Tamil Nadu etc. where rainfalls were reported deficient in the monsoon season 2018.
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