Centre bolsters retail stocks of chana dal to temper prices

livemint.com:

NEW DELHI : Amid skyrocketing prices of Kharif pulses, the Union government will supply chana dal (gram) to states for purposes other than welfare schemes, and to about 705 retail outlets of the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (Nafed), National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India (NCCF), Kendriya Bhandar and Safal. This comes after the Centre approved a proposed mechanism for converting 20% chana stock into chana dal for retail sale by the department of consumer affairs.

The step is expected to help augment supply of pulses at a time when the domestic market is facing a shortage of tur dal. Mint on 10 June reported the government plans to convert 20% of its raw chana stocks to chana dal and supply it in the retail market.

This is aimed at reducing huge quantities of chana and lower stock of other pulses than their strategic buffer requirement. The retail packs will be in two variants—1 kg and 30 kg, and the price for the one kg pack could be between ₹55 and ₹60, said two people aware of the development.

The department was suggested to have higher initial target to supply 100,000 tonnes of chana dal in the first three months in order to adequately impact prices of other pulses and to achieve conversion of 20% raw chana stock in chana dal in the next six months. The department was suggested to have higher initial target to supply 100,000 tonnes of chana dal in the first three months to have adequate impact on the prices of other pulses and to achieve conversion of 20% raw chana stock in chana dal in the coming six months.