Nagpur: Call it an unprecedented sign of Modi raj or unjust ploy of hoaders on blame it on scarce supply, the prices of essential commodities in Nagpur are just adding to the hardships of common man. Even as the onion prices have been continuously spiraling with an average rate of Rs 60 a kg, the worries have now shifted towards the tur dal – one of the essentials of common man’s dal-roti. Breaching all the previous highs, tur dal in Nagpur has reached the new price high of Rs 150 kg, clearly indicating for more rate revision in view of upcoming festive season when the demand will reach its peak.
Besides tur or arhar, the prices of other pulses have also flared in recent months and some of them are selling at over Rs 100 per kg.
While the focus has been on politically sensitive onion prices, cost of pulses has soared despite several government attempts. Data for the past few months has consistently flagged rising prices of pulses.
It seems there will be no respite for consumers until November. The arrival of new domestic supplies is expected to help calm prices but experts say a long-term solution is needed to deal with the problem which has enormous impact on the food habits and protein intake of citizens.
The government move to import both arhar and urad seem to have no impact on the retail prices of the popular varieties. Barring gram dal and urad, the average price of arhar, moong and masoor is Rs 100 and above, according to data compiled by the price monitoring cell of consumer affairs department.
In case of arhar, the overall increase in price of pulses across the country in the past one month is about Rs 30 per kg. Government data shows prices have gone up by Rs 50 per kg between April and September, primarily due to supply shortage.
The actual difference could be more since the data provided by state civil supply departments to the Centre does not capture the exact price. For example, while the government report on prices of essential commodities shows that arhar was selling at Rs 135 per kg in Delhi on Thursday, it was available at Rs 150 at several places across the city.
