According to traders, merchants and grocers the rocketing prices are in response to the deficient monsoon leading to crop failure.
Pulses have become dearer by 40-50% in the past one week making it a hard news to digest for Mumbaikars. The costs of pulses (dals) like Toor, Moong, Urad and others have escalated, with a kilo trading between Rs 180-200 in the retail market from the earlier Rs 120-140.
Food-grain merchants predict that the prices are far from coming down and are expecting them to cross Rs 250-mark by the end of the year, before fresh produce hits the markets post the next kharif harvest.
The cost of pulses hit a historic high breaching Rs 150 per kilo in the wholesale market - an increase of 30% within a fortnight. It was around Rs 100-120 a kilo in the wholesale market in the first week of July 2015.
According to traders, merchants and grocers the rocketing prices are in response to the deficient monsoon leading to crop failure.
"Poor rains have led to these days. We are buying at around 30-40% high costs from wholesale market dealers and they calculate that the prices are not going to drop anytime soon," retail merchant from Dadar Dayaram Yadav told iamin. He added that the price hike has taken a toll on retail business with the consumption of dal drastically reducing since August.
Similar concerns were cited by dal miller Tukaram Bokare from Pune, who claimed that a shift of crop planting by farmers has also played its part in the price rise. "Farmers in Pune and Satara have switched to other crops like soyabean, which have higher returns than the pulse-crops," Bokare explained.
Cost of pulses to affect your breakfast and snacks
Urad, which is the main ingredient in south Indian snacks including idlis, vadas and dosas - has reached Rs 140 per kilo this month from its earlier cost of Rs 95. This is bound to hit restaurants and snack stalls across the island city catering majorly to office-goers.
According to foodstall owners in Khau-galli in south Mumbai - the cost of south Indian delicacies have been increased between Rs 5-10.
"Earlier, a pair of idlis with sambar and chutni was charged Rs 20, now I am charging Rs 25. Extra serving of chatni is at Rs 2 as we put some channa-dal in it as well," food stall owner Arjun Keppa said. Similarly, dosas and dal-vadas have seen a price hike.
For more such hyperlocal stories, visit iamin.in.
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