Slump in wholesale price of pulses yet to bring relief to consumers

This is indicative of increasingly unwarranted margins that retailers are extracting out of the market dynamics.
Samples of pulses are displayed at a wholesale shop at Khari Baoli market, Old Delhi on February 01, 2024.
Samples of pulses are displayed at a wholesale shop at Khari Baoli market, Old Delhi on February 01, 2024.(File Photo | Parveen Negi, Express)
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The past few months has seen a slump in the price of pulses in the wholesale market. However, this has not brought cheers to the consumers since the fall in prices is not reflected in the retail market.

Data shows that the price of pulses such as Tur and Urad in major mandis fell by almost 10% in the last three months due to increasing acreage of kharif pulses this year.

Current sowing area for Kharif pulses exceeds last year by over 7% and crop condition is found to be better.

“Prices of Tur and Urad in major mandis had declined, on an average, by almost 10% during the last three months, but retail prices have not seen a similar decline,” said Nidhi Khare, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs.

“When it comes to Chana, the decline in mandi prices have been observed in the past one month, but retail prices continue to be on the higher side,” Khare further said.

She pointed out the diverging trends between wholesale mandi prices and retail prices are indicative of increasingly unwarranted margins that retailers are extracting out of the market dynamics.

“The trends are being closely tracked and necessary measures will have to be initiated if the divergences are found to be widening,” Khare said.

For this, Khare chaired the meeting with Retailers Association of India (RAI) and major organized retail chains to discuss efforts to keep pulses prices stable to consumers in festive season.

In this meeting, attended by officials of RAI and representatives from Reliance Retail Ltd., Vishal Mart, D Mart, Spencer and More Retail, where she advised RAI to coordinate with NCCF and NAFED in the distribution of Bharat Dals, especially Bharat Masur Dal and Bharat Moong Dal, to widen and deepen the coverage and reach of Bharat Dals among consumers.

In respect of availability position, Khare informed that Kharif Urad and Moong have started arriving in the markets while imports of Tur and Urad from East African countries and Myanmar are arriving steadily to augment the domestic production.

“The comfortable domestic availability situation is also evident from the fact that the quantity of pulses stock disclosed by big-chain retailers in the stock disclosure portal of Department of Consumer Affairs has been increasing every week,” said Khare after the meeting with RAI.

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