Centre likely to make declaration of pulses stock mandatory

NEW DELHI: Centre is likely to make the declaration of pulses stock mandatory amid indications of prices going out of control despite govt having adequate buffer stocks and imports. Consumer affairs department has called a meeting of state govt officials on Thursday to discuss the issue of rising prices of pulses.This comes after the department gave its nod to Tamil Nadu’s proposal to impose stock holding limits on tur and urad in light of increase in retail prices in the state compared to the all-India average. Last week, govt also made it mandatory for rice traders and millers to disclose their weekly stock of six types of rice. This was done following an assessment of the spike in rice prices in southern states.Officials said that Thursday’s meeting is aimed at chalking out a plan to curb the spike in prices of chana, tur, urad and lentil. They added that there seems to be some cartelisation behind the rise in prices.As per data of consumer affairs department’s price monitoring cell, the average retail prices of tur and gram on Thursday increased to Rs 135 per kg and Rs 95 per kg, respectively, an increase of 20% and 10% over last year.An official note said the department is assessing domestic production prospects, international supply trends, international trade flows, market arrivals and stock positions to ensure that available supplies translate into adequate market availability and that price movements remain aligned with underlying market fundamentals.“The holding of imported stocks for extended periods at ports, bonded warehouses or SEZs, and delays in their movement into the domestic market can affect the timely transmission of available supplies and influence market sentiments,” it stated.Currently, govt has buffer stock of around 38 lakh tonnes — gram (16 lakh tonnes), tur (9.7 lakh), moong (6.4 lakh), masur (5.3 lakh) and urad (44,000 tonne). Imports of pulses also increased by 67% to 20 lakh tonnes in the April-August period of 2026-27, amid concerns over a dip in domestic output due to the El Nino threat.