New Delhi:
With prices of turdal soaring, the Center on Friday asked all states and UTs to ensure that traders and traders disclose the amounts of turdal they own.
The direction comes amid reports that turdal sales are being restricted to create artificial scarcity.
The Center closely monitors the prices of pulses. Currently, it has 38 lakh tons of pulses in buffer stock and the same is released to boost domestic supply.
On Friday, the Department of Consumer Affairs issued a “directive to all states and UTs to enforce disclosure of shares by shareholders of Tur under Sections 3(2)(h) and 3(2)(i) of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955”.
States and Union Territories (UTs) have also been instructed to monitor and verify the files. In addition, they have been asked to instruct shareholder entities to upload the data of the stocks they hold on a weekly basis to the department’s online monitoring portal, according to an official statement.
“There are reports that some sections of traders and traders are resorting to limited sales in an attempt to create artificial scarcity to push the price up,” it added.
Tur dal’s selling price has been on an upward trend from the second week of July, reflecting the slow progress in kharif sowing compared to last year.
The less sown area is due to excessive rainfall and waterlogging in parts of the major turdal-growing states of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
“The Center is closely monitoring the general availability and prices of legumes in the domestic and foreign markets in order to take necessary preventive measures in the event of an unwarranted price increase in the upcoming festival months with high demand,” the statement said.
There is sufficient availability of legumes on the domestic market, according to the Center. Still, it is releasing pulses from its 38 lakh tonne buffer stock to further increase its supply in the market.
The legume area has fallen to 122.11 lakh hectares as on August 12 of this kharif sowing season, from 127.22 lakh hectares in the period of a year ago. Tur valley acreage has fallen to 42 lakh hectares from 47.55 lakh hectares. PTI MJH RAM
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