Cabinet secretary holds meeting to review prices of onions, pulses

Cabinet Secretary Pradeep Kumar Sinha on Friday reviewed the prices of essential commodities, especially onions and pulses, at a high-level meeting here, an official release said.

It said that secretaries of several departments including consumer affairs, agriculture, food and public distribution and commerce attended the meeting.

Measures such as increase in minimum export price, extending stock limits and import of 2,000 tonnes of onions had led to its prices showing a declining trend, it said, adding that in case of pulses, stock limits have been extended upto September 30, 2016, zero import duty has been extended by another year and the central government had taken decision to import 5,000 tonnes to increase their availability and bring down the prices.

It said the Kendriya Bhandar would be lifting imported "Tur dal" and would supply at its 100 locations in Delhi. Safal would also be supplying the imported "Tur dal" through its 300 outlets. Other states have also been allotted imported pulses as per their requirement.

"Instructions were also issued for enforcing stock limits and taking effective action against hoarding and black-marketing of essential commodities, especially pulses. The states are again requested to intensify their efforts in this direction," the release said.

It said that as part of long-term measures to encourage farmers to produce more pulses, government has increased the minimum support price of "Tur" and "urad" to Rs.4,625 per quintal and "moong" to Rs.4,850 per quintal.

Food Corporation of India has been mandated to procure pulses to ensure minimum support price to farmers and help build up a buffer stock for effective market intervention to control prices of pulses, it said.

Sinha directed all departments to keep a close watch on availability and prices of essential commodities and work in close coordination with states to control price rise.

The release said that prices of some other essential commodities like cereals, edible oils, sugar and potato were under control.