Pulses start easing as 82,000 tons seized from hoarders

Dal prices have started to ease, declining from peak of Rs 210 per kg to around Rs 190 today even as many state governments continued to raid hoarders, seizing so far over 82,000 tonnes of pulses.
The seized stocks will be released in retail markets within a week, which will further help cool down prices.
Meanwhile, the daily monitoring of the price situation continued today with Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha reviewing the evolving scenario.
"Under de-hoarding operations, 8,394 raids have been conducted so far and 82,462.53 tonnes pulses have been seized across the states," an official statement said today.

Due to the seizure of pulses in 12 states, prices have started showing a downward trend, a senior Consumer Affairs Ministry official said.
Retail prices of tur dal slipped below Rs 210 per kg and was quoted around Rs 190 today, while wholesale price of the commodity declined to Rs 181, according to the data maintained by the Consumer Affairs Ministry.

Retail tur prices showed a sharp decline in Puducherry, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Ranchi, Bengaluru, while there was marginal fall in rates in Mengaluru, Mumbai, Trirunelveli and Chennai.
Urad prices dropped by up to Rs 8 per kg in both retail and wholesale markets across the country. Retail price of urad was Rs 190, while it was Rs 180 in the wholesale market.

According to the official, a maximum quantity of 57,455 tonnes pulses was confiscated from Maharashtra due to which tur dal prices in Mumbai wholesale markets fell to Rs 152 per kg from Rs 200 a kg a week ago, though its impact is yet to peculate into retail markets.
As per the ministry data, 4,932 tonnes of pulses have been seized in Chhattisgarh, 2,370 tonnes in Madhya Pradesh, 3,330 tonnes in Rajasthan and 2,189 tonnes in Haryana so far.
The statement further said that "more states have started selling pulses through government/cooperative outlets. Prices in the retail market have also registered declining trends.