BENGALURU: The humble idli, the crispy vada and the dosa will soon cost Rs 5 more. Hoteliers attribute this to a steep hike in the prices of pulses, the main ingredients of these delicacies. Failed monsoon this year is said to have affected the production of urad dal (black gram) and tur dal (red gram).
In Bengaluru, a plate of idli (two pieces), which costs Rs 20, will now cost Rs 30. Similarly, the price range of a single vada, which was Rs 15-20, will now be Rs 20-25. A dosa, which was Rs 40-45, will now cost Rs 45-50.
Elsewhere in the state too, food items are either off the menu or have become costlier. In Mysuru, the vada has exited from the menus of many roadside eateries and economy restaurants.
While in Kalaburagi the Hotels Association has given hotel owners the freedom to increase the rates of idli and dosa, in Shivamogga, though canteens and small hotels have enhanced the rates of various food items, major hotels are still undecided.
However, in Mangaluru, despite the rise in the prices of the two pulses, hoteliers have not increased the rates.
No Option, Say Hotels
Chandrashekar Hebbar, president, Bruhat Bangalore Hoteliers’ Association and owner of Anna Kuteera hotel in Kathriguppe, said, “Fine quality urad dal and tur dal are now available for Rs 20,000 and Rs 18,000 per quintal. In the past few months, the prices have constantly been increasing, leaving us with no option but to hike the price of food.”
“At our hotel, we prepare South Indian dishes. Idli, vada and dosa are the fastest selling items. While idli, vada and dosa need urad dal, sambar needs tur dal. We will increase the price of idli, vada and dosa by Rs 5,” he said.
Vasudev Adiga, owner of a food chain, said, “We are affected by the steep hike in the prices of pulses. It’s incredible and I don’t know if this is what acche din would look like.”
The hoteliers of Belagavi will meet soon to decide on the rate hike.
A Costly Affair
Anita, a homemaker, said, “A look at my grocery bill for the past three months shows a constant increase. Onion prices are not stabilising, vegetable prices are fluctuating by the day and the hike in price of pulses will only add to the burden.”
Baswarajjapa, a daily wage labourer at Shivajinagar, said, “Food has already become a costly affair. We consider dosa as the rich man’s food. We have ragi balls with sambar and raw onion. Now, onions too are beyond our reach. If the rate of sambar too goes up, we will have to eat ragi balls with hot water.”
Price of Pulses Shoots Up: The price of tur dal has touched a historic high of Rs 200 per kg in the wholesale market, a second increase by 12 per cent within a fortnight. It was around Rs 180 per kg in the wholesale market in the third week of September.
The price had already gone up in the last week of August, with pulses hitting Rs 150 per kg in the wholesale market compared to Rs 110 earlier. The jump in prices is due to crop failure, triggered in April due to poor rains. In May, the wholesale price of tur and urad crossed Rs 100 for the first time.
The wholesale price of pulses is not going to come down anytime soon as the new crop is expected to hit the market only by December second week. In addition, the crop in most South Indian states and Maharashtra has taken a hit due to insufficient rainfall. The demand for pulses in the wholesale market has gone up due to the festival season.
With inputs from K Shiva Kumar, M Raghuram, Ramachandra Gunari, Ramkrishna Badseshi and Tushar Majukar