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Perishable items' prices within tolerance band: FM Nirmala Sitharaman.
Feb 07, 2024

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said prices of perishable commodities are coming down and are within the 'tolerance band' now on the back of a raft of steps taken by the government, including imports of pulses and supplies of essential items to people at concessional rates.

Responding to questions in the Rajya Sabha, the minister said the government is well aware of the difficulties posed by the shortage of perishable goods that are not grown in India. Listing out some of the steps, the minister said the government imported 879,000 tonnes of tur dal and 1.51 million tonnes of masoor dal in 2023, in addition to other types of pulses, to bolster domestic supplies and tide over a shortage.

Retail inflation hit a four-month high of 5.69% in December, with food inflation touching 9.53%. Vegetable inflation remained as high as 27.64% in December, while that in pulses was 20.73%, driving up the overall food inflation.

'Since we don't grow enough pulses in the country and due to a shortfall in supply, prices of pulses normally keep fluctuating, for which, by analysing the crop estimates, we start tying up for imports,' Sitharaman said.

Through the 'Bharat Dal' initiative, the government is also ensuring supplies of pulses at concessional rates, she said. The chana dal, for instance, is made available at Rs.60 per kg for one kg packs and Rs.55 per kg for 30 kg packs, she said. About 297,000 tonnes of chana was sold at cheaper rates until January 30 (this fiscal).

Similarly, the government has released 396,000 tonnes of onions at a concessional rate of Rs.25 per kg in the market. Import restrictions have also been lifted so that prices of onions can be kept within a reasonable limit, the minister said.

economictimes.indiatimes.com

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