Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare on Wednesday asked state governments to increase monitoring of pulses stocks. The Center has especially asked to keep an eye on imported yellow peas. The Center also directed to implement the system of disclosure about stock on weekly basis by stock holding units from April 15. According to Bhasha news, he gave the instructions amid reports of some varieties of imported pulses not reaching the market. The secretary, after an online meeting with importers, customs and state officials and concerned parties involved in the pulses industry, said that the stocks of pulses in warehouses located at major ports and industry hubs should be verified from time to time. The Center has warned that strict action should be taken against units giving wrong information about reserves.
Permission to import yellow peas till June 30, 2024
According to an official statement, Khare told the states and union territories in the meeting that there is a need to increase monitoring of the stock position and price trend of pulses to prevent hoarding and market manipulation. He said that apart from five major pulses – arhar, urad, gram, masoor and moong, state governments have been directed to monitor the stock position of imported yellow peas. To increase the availability of pulses, the government has given permission to import yellow peas from December 8, 2023 to June 30, 2024.
Redesigned the portal
Khare asked to ensure that imported yellow peas are continuously released in the market. Also, the stocks of pigeon pea, urad and lentils with importers should be monitored to ensure smooth supply in the market. Meanwhile, importers and industry have been asked to report their stocks of pulses, including imported yellow peas, on a weekly basis. The Secretary said that in this regard, the Consumer Affairs Department has redesigned the portal providing information about the stores.
Under this, Yellow Peas and a large retailer have been included as a unit. It is noteworthy that India is dependent on import of pulses to meet the domestic shortage. According to the second advance estimate of the Agriculture Ministry regarding food grains, the production of pigeon pea and gram will be slightly less during the crop year 2023-24 (July-June).
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