Centre to release tur from national buffer till imported stocks arrive

The order has also made it mandatory for entities to declare the stock position on the relevant portal of the Department of Consumer Affairs

The Centre has decided to release tur from the national buffer in a "calibrated and targeted" manner till imported stocks arrive in the domestic market.

The Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution has directed National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumers Federation (NCCF) to dispose of tur through online auction among eligible millers to augment the available stocks for milling into tur dal for the consumers.

The quantities being auctioned and the frequency will be calibrated on the basis of the assessed impact of the disposal on the availability of tur to consumers at affordable prices, said the ministry in a statement.

It may be recalled that the government had, on June 2, 2023, imposed stock limits on tur and urad by invoking the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 in order to prevent hoarding and unscrupulous speculation and also to improve affordability to the consumers.

Under this order, stock limits have been prescribed for tur and urad until October 31, 2023 for all states and Union territories.

Stock limits applicable to each of the pulses individually are 200 MT for wholesalers; 5 MT for retailers; 5 MT at each retail outlet and 200 MT at depot for big chain retailers; last three months of production or 25 per cent of annual installed capacity, whichever is higher, for the millers.

The order has also made it mandatory for these entities to declare the stock position on the portal of the department.

The sudden spike in tomato prices

Meanwhile, tomato prices have crossed Rs 100 per kilogram in many parts of the country over the past few days.

Prices in local markets have surged to anywhere between Rs 80 and Rs 120 per kilo, following an increase in prices in the wholesale markets, reported The Economic Times (ET).

Farmers have cited production shortages, triggered by the extreme heat and delayed arrival of the monsoon as the cause of the recent price hike.

The sudden rise in the prices of tomatoes could be a fresh inflation trigger for the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), following a sharp decline over the past few months.

RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das, however, in recent statements had already highlighted that concerns over inflation still persist due to the El Nino forecast.