Dal prices stay high in retail mkt, state says rates will settle

Buying dal will continue to pinch your pocket, as the prices of the most commonly used varieties have not dropped below the Rs200-mark in the retail market for a couple of months.

A kilogram of tur dal costs Rs230 in the retail market, while urad dal is Rs200, despite the state government’s promise to crack down on traders to bring down the rates.

With the price of the pulses reducing in the wholesale market — both tur and urad dal cost around Rs155 — consumer activists are blaming profiteering by traders and the lack of government intervention for retail prices staying high.

Two months ago, the steep hike in the prices of the Indian kitchen staple forced the Maharashtra government to seize 67,000 metric tonnes from traders, including 13,000 tonnes of tur dal. To bring the prices under control, the gov- ernment said the seized tur dal will be auctioned off and traders will be asked to sign an undertaking that they will sell it for Rs100 a kg.

“Forget about relief, the situation has actually become worse this month, compared to October. We have been insisting that releasing the pulses to traders will not give consumers any relief. The state should have distributed the seized stock using the public distribution system, under the Essential Commodities Act,” said Shirish Deshpande, the chairman of the Mumbai Grahak Panchayat (MGP), a consumer rights organisation.

CONTINUED ON P10