As tur dal prices bite, traders want consumers to try other dal varieties

Pulse traders want the govt to raise awareness about consuming other dal varieties like chana, masur, moong, and yellow peas, which are available at cheaper rates

High demand for arhar or tur dal, often called the yellow dal, is giving pulse traders a tough time. The processing industry is struggling to keep up with the demand for the highest-selling dal, a report published in The Economic Times (ET) said. The prices for the tur dal have also increased by about 60 per cent, given the love for tur dal.

Such is the situation that pulse traders are requesting the government to raise awareness about consuming other pulses like chana, masur, moong, and yellow peas, which are readily available at cheaper rates.

To this end, the Indian Pulses and Grain Association (IPGA) has requested the Department of Food and Public Distribution to promote other pulses as an alternative to tur, the report said.

Tur traders believe that changing consumer preference is quintessential to balancing the demand-supply situation. For the kind of demand tur has driven, the country's production is inadequate to meet it.

Government estimates suggest that India's tur production will be down 14 per cent compared to last year. The trader community believes the drop in production to be steeper at more than 20 per cent, the ET report said.

The average price of unprocessed tur dal at the Latur wholesale market in Maharashtra stood at Rs 90 per kg, which is 50 per cent more than last year's price of Rs 60 per kg. The report added that a rise of 24 per cent in the tur prices has been registered in the last four months.