Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman addressed concerns regarding the prices of perishable commodities, stating that they are now within a “tolerance band” due to various measures implemented by the government. Sitharaman highlighted steps such as importing pulses and providing essential items at concessional rates to alleviate shortages.
The minister acknowledged the challenges posed by the scarcity of perishable goods not cultivated in India. She outlined initiatives such as importing 879,000 metric tonnes of tur dal and 1.51 million tonnes of masoor dal in 2023, along with other pulses, to stabilize domestic supplies and mitigate shortages.
Despite retail inflation reaching a four-month high of 5.69% in December, with food inflation peaking at 9.53%, Sitharaman noted that vegetable inflation stood at 27.64% and pulse inflation at 20.73%, contributing to the overall increase in food inflation.
Given the insufficient domestic production of pulses, Sitharaman emphasized the necessity of importing pulses to stabilize prices. The government has also initiated the ‘Bharat Dal’ program to ensure the availability of pulses at concessional rates, with chana dal being offered at ₹60 per kg for one kg packs and ₹55 per kg for 30 kg packs.
Additionally, she disclosed that approximately 297,000 metric tonnes of chana dal were sold at subsidized rates until January 30 of the current fiscal year. Additionally, the government has released 396,000 metric tonnes of onions at a concessional rate of ₹25 per kg into the market while lifting import restrictions to maintain reasonable onion prices.