Centre asks States to act against hoarding of tur and urad

Posted on by

The Center directed the state governments to constantly monitor the prices of Tur and Urad Dal and take action against traders who stockpile these pulses by not complying with the stock limit order.

An official statement said the Department of Consumer Affairs asked State Food Administration officials to meet on Wednesday while reviewing the implementation of stock limits. Representatives of the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) and State Warehousing Enterprises (SWCs) also attended the meeting.

“State governments have been required to continuously monitor prices, check stock conditions in holding entities and crack down on those who breach the stock limit order,” the statement said.

The center on June 2 imposed restrictions on tor stock and urads through October 31 to prevent hoarding and unscrupulous speculation, with the aim of improving availability in the market. A stock limit of 200 tons was imposed on wholesalers, 5 tons on retailers, 5 tons in each retail outlet, and 200 tons in the warehouse of large chain retailers. In the case of mills, the inventory limit was the last three months of production or 25 percent of annual installed capacity, whichever is higher.

The government also required these entities to announce their financial positions on the ministry’s website.

Check for mismatches

Retail prices and inventory quantities disclosed by the various stock-owned and inventory-owned entities in warehouses owned or operated by CWC and SWC with respect to tolls and stocks (both and their processing) were reviewed at the meeting. The statement said CWCs and SWCs have been asked to provide details of the stocks of torrents and roses in their warehouses on a regular basis.

Also discussed were the measures taken by the countries to verify the mismatch between the quantities pledged by the market players with the banks, the quantities declared on the stock disclosure portal, and the enforcement of stock limits with the countries.

In March, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs set up a committee headed by Nidhi Khare to monitor the tor stocks owned by entities like importers, millers, sellers, traders, etc. in close coordination with state governments. The ministry has also dispatched 12 senior officers to visit various places in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu to assess the situation on the ground.