Bhopal, Aug 21 (Inditop.com) The Madhya Pradesh government is planning to impose stock limits on pulses, gram, oilseeds and rice to control rising prices, officials said Friday.
“The government may soon introduce a pulses control order to start with. It would be issued in a couple of days,” a state food department official told Inditop.
The prices of pulses have skyrocketed in the last few months.
“Tur dal price has gone up to Rs.100 per kilogram from Rs.55 four months ago. The prices of other pulses like moong and urad have also increased by Rs.15 to Rs.20 per kilogram during the period,” said Prashant Agarwal, a city-based retailer.
He added that tur dal sales declined by 40 to 50 percent during the period due to steep price hike.
The government has already put limits on sugar stocks to control the rising prices of the commodity. Officials raided hoarders across the state this week and seized around 4,000 tonnes of the commodity, which led to a fall in sugar prices in the wholesale market.
“Raids on sugar traders across the state has had an impact on wholesalers of other commodities. The prices of most of the pulses, including tur dal, have declined by Rs.5 per kilogram or so,” Agarwal said.
Ajit Kesari, commissioner of food, civil supplies and consumer protection, also said prices of several commodities “have started declining due to the implementation of the sugar control order”.
Madhya Pradesh Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies Paras Jain also indicated that the government would impose stock limits on pulses.
“The government was concerned over prices of pulses and limiting stock would have an impact on prices. Traders would have to take license if they want to stock more than the limit,” the minister told reporters in Ujjain Thursday.
Food department officials said the state would have to depend on imported pulses to meet its high demand.
The central government, which plans to import 400,000 tonnes of pulses, has asked the states to quote their prices for purchase of pulses, which would be followed by fixing of state quotas.
The states have also been asked to pay a month in advance for the pulses supplied to them.
