From Friday, Tur dal will be available at Rs 130 per kg at select centres in Bengaluru and major cities and towns across the state.
The Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) and the Bengaluru Wholesale Food Grains and Pulses Merchants Association are jointly selling Tur dal at wholesale prices.
The commonly-used Gulbarga Phatka variety will be sold at these centres. The retail price for this variety is around Rs 150 in the open market.
The association will be selling Tur dal at three different centres in Bengaluru. Two centres will be at Yeshwanthpur APMC yard and one at New Taragupet, off Bengaluru-Mysuru road.
The merchants affiliated to FKCCI in Mysuru, Mandya, Kolar, Davanagere, Tumakuru, Kalaburagi, Bidar and other towns will also open the centres simultaneously.
A person can buy a maximum of 5 kg at a time and a minimum of 1 kg at these centres, association president Ramesh Chandra Lahoti said.
“The association has taken this initiative with an aim to provide relief to consumers. Though the prices of Tur dal have come down in the last few weeks, the retailers are not reducing the price. Many multi-brand retailers are selling Tur dal at exorbitant prices,” he added.
The state government had conducted raids across the state and seized large quantities of Tur dal last year.
Lahoti said wholesale traders were unnecessarily targeted for high price of Tur dal at retail shops. Hence, the association has decided to convey this message by taking up the sale of Tur dal at the wholesale price.
More centres will be opened in the coming days in Bengaluru if the government provides suitable venues, he said.
