PRICE OF PULSES SKYROCKET

The prices of lentils are impacting household budgets with the traders’ body at the Grain Market of the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) in Vashi saying that respite from the rising prices of lentils is unlikely before December 2023.

The price of Tur daal or Arhar daal has crossed Rs160 per kg in the wholesale market in Vashi. Even other lentils such as Urad, Masoor, and Moong daal are commanding a price of around Rs100 per kg or more in the wholesale market.

The retail prices of Tur daal and Urad daal have already crossed Rs200 per kg.

The wholesale price of Tur daal is likely to soon touch Rs200 per kg and the retail price is set to cross Rs250 per kg, according to Bhimji Bhanushali, the secretary of the Grain, Rice & Oilseeds Merchants’ Association (GROMA).

The crop of lentils and pulses was delayed because of the late arrival of the monsoon, Bhanushali said. “This led to a mismatch between demand and supply, which has created the problem. The gap has widened because of constraints regarding import from African countries,” he said.