Government On Tuesday, it asked the retailers of pulses to pass on the benefit of fall in wholesale prices to the common consumers. Along with this, the government warned that if they earn abnormal profits then necessary steps will be taken against them. According to a government statement, Nidhi Khare, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, on Tuesday chaired a meeting with the Retailers Association of India (RAI) and major organized retail chains to discuss the scenario and trends of prices of major pulses. . This meeting is important in view of the festive season.
Wholesale prices of pulses have decreased
It said there has been a declining trend in mandi (wholesale) prices of most pulses in recent months, despite better availability of Kharif pulses and more sowing area this year. Khare said that “during the last three months, the prices of arhar and urad have declined by an average of about 10 per cent in the major mandis, but such decline has not been seen in the retail prices.” A decline in mandi prices has been seen in a month, but retail prices continue to rise. He said the divergent trends between wholesale mandi prices and retail prices indicate unfair margins being extracted by retailers. The trends are being closely monitored and if the gap is found to be increasing, necessary measures will have to be initiated.
Asked retailers to reduce prices
The meeting was attended by RAI officials and representatives of Reliance Retail Limited, Vishal Mart, D Mart, Spencer’s and More Retail. The statement said that in view of the current availability situation and softening of mandi prices, the Secretary asked the retail industry to provide all possible assistance in the government’s efforts to keep the prices of pulses affordable for the consumers. He asked organized retail chains to coordinate with NCCF and NAFED in distribution of Bharat pulses, especially Bharat masoor dal and Bharat moong dal. Regarding availability, Khare said that the arrival of Kharif urad and moong has started in the markets, while tur and urad are being continuously imported from East African countries and Myanmar to increase the domestic stock. In preparation for Rabi sowing, the Agriculture Department has submitted focused schemes to each major producing State with the aim of increasing production of pulses and self-reliance. NAFED and NCCF will be involved in farmer registration and seed distribution among farmers in the upcoming Rabi season, as was done in the Kharif sowing season this year.
