By February, the government anticipates that tur prices would drop to Rs 130 per kilogram

 By February, the government anticipates that tur prices would drop to Rs 130 per kilogram

Prices should decrease due to seasonal demand declines and improved supply of arhar dal.

The entry of kharif supplies onto the market, a rise in imports, a seasonal drop in demand, and more streamlined import regulations have all contributed to the price reduction.

According to a senior official, the government anticipates that the price of the nation's favorite legume, tur, would drop by more than 18% by February from Rs 160 a kg in November as a result of improved supply and declining demand.

Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said, "We are confident of bringing the prices below Rs 130 per kg by the first week of February."

Because there was less local output last year, tur prices stayed high. The government's actions are beginning to have an effect, however, as on December 18 tur prices dropped from Rs 156.5 per kilogram to Rs 154.

Singh told Moneycontrol, "We have been seeing green rays in Tur for almost two weeks now as the prices of this commodity have dropped for the first time in the last few months."

The entry of kharif supplies onto the market, a rise in imports, a seasonal drop in demand, and more streamlined import regulations have all contributed to the price reduction.

"Pulses stocks have started coming into the markets and prices of all pulses are falling, which is having a cumulative effect on tur as well," Singh said.

There will be more pulses available since they are expected to be imported from Mozambique, Canada, Russia, and Australia. In order to promote commerce, the government removed port limitations and minimum import prices on December 8, exempting yellow peas (tur) from import duties till the end of current fiscal year.

In order to build a buffer stock that will be released into the market when prices increase, the Center has begun buying tur dal directly from farmers at market price. The Price Stabilization Fund is where the funds for the purchase are coming from.

"Additionally, there is always a 15-20 per cent decline in demand for pulses in winters when the price-sensitive section of the society opts for cheaper vegetables like spinach and fenugreek instead of pulses," added the secretary.

increased intake

Tur has being consumed at a rate higher than home production. In the 2022–2023 crop year (July–June), the nation's tur output decreased by 20% to 3.43 million tonnes from 4.29 million tons the previous year. The nation uses over 45 lakh tons of tur annually.

The first advance estimate for the crop season 2023–24 released by the agricultural ministry forecasts the output of Tur at 3.42 million tonnes, a small decrease.

Government statistics show that in the calendar year 2023, India imported over 778,000 tonnes of pigeon pea from Tanzania, Mozambique, and Myanmar.

The Center extended the duty-free import policy for both tur and urad in January, anticipating a shortage in output owing to unusual weather. The extension was valid until March 31, 2024. Since then, the Department of Consumer Affairs has been keeping an eye on the stock levels of various pulses, such as tur and pulses. Urad.

Furthermore, on June 2, the authorities restricted the amount of tur and urad that dealers may retain in stock. In an effort to stop price increases, the government then released tur from the national buffer supply.

The government introduced chana dal, marketed as "Bharat Dal," at discounted rates of Rs 60 per kg nationwide in an effort to increase consumption among those unable to pay for pricey arhar or toor dal.

November saw a strong increase in food costs, which caused the consumer price index to measure inflation at a three-month high of 5.55 percent. Pulses had a 20.23 percent rise in price.