Karnataka to get 5,000 MT of tur dal, price may drop further

 The price of tur dal is expected to drop further in Karnataka as the state government would be getting 5,000 tonnes of the pulse from the Centre soon.

At present, Tur dal is sold at Rs 130 a kg at select outlets opened by the Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) and the Wholesale Foodgrains and Pulses Merchants’ Association in Bengaluru.

Speaking at the launch of tur dal sale here on Friday, Harsh Gupta, Principal Secretary (Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs) said that the Centre has considered the state’s request for 5,000  tonnes of tur dal.

“The state is offering tur dal at Rs 130 a kg. After the produce reaches the state it would be made available at a maximum price of Rs 120 per kg,” Gupta said. 

A notification has been issued on the maximum quantity of the essential commodities such as rice and sugar that the retailers and wholesalers could stock.

Earlier, Food and Civil Supplies Minister U T Khader launched the tur dal sale.
The decision to reduce the price of the dal was taken after the minister, on inspection found that it was being sold at Rs 315 a kg in malls.

Tur dal would be made available in 50 such outlets which will come up at Yeshwantpur, Mysuru Road, Yelahanka, Koramangala and N T Pet among other locations.

“We do not want the retailers to fleece consumers. At the same time, we don’t want retailers or wholesalers to suffer losses. If awareness is created among people that tur dal is being made available at Rs 130, they will refuse to pay more and would not get cheated,” he said.

The project was started on a pilot basis along with the FKCCI. For the next three months, tur dal would be sold at Rs 130 a kg. After the next crop, the prices may vary, the minister said.

FKCCI sold 3,200 kgs of tur dal at its two outlets on the first day.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, a senior official from the department told Deccan Herald that fortified palm oil (with vitamin A and D) would be given under the public distribution system in place of the ordinary palm oil.