Government to import 1 lakh tonne pulses to rein in prices

The government has decided to import nearly one lakh tonne of pulses to strengthen the buffer stock which will help in bringing the prices down. 

A meeting held to discuss the buffer stock of essential commodities, especially pulses, amongst other things, was attended by senior officials from the Department of Agriculture, Food, Commerce, Revenue, Metals and Minerals Trading Corporation, National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited, and more. The meeting also reviewed the procurement and distribution of pulses from buffer stock. 

In a notification, Consumer Affairs Secretary Hem Pande said that he'd reviewed the availability and prices of pulses. 

So far, the government agencies have procured about 1,39,000 MT of pulses from the domestic market and farmers and 56,000 MT pulses have been contracted for import, the government said in a notification. Thus 1, 95, 000 MT pulses are available with the buffer stock. it added. 

Apart from this, the meeting also discussed a possible alternate mechanism for the release of pulses at appropriate time for effective market intervention if sufficient quantity is not lifted by the state governments.