Stock limits on tur, urad extended till December 31 to keep prices under check

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The Centre has extended the stock limits on pulses such as tur and urad till December 31, 2023. The move is aimed at preventing hoarding and containing prices of these pulses, which are seen firming up.

In an extraordinary gazette notification issued on Monday, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution made amendments to the Removal of Licensing Requirements, Stock Limits and Movement Restrictions on Specified Foodstuffs Order, 2016.

The Removal of Licensing Requirements, Stocks Limits and Movement Restrictions on Specified Foodstuffs (Third Amendment) Order, 2023 will come into force with immediate effect and will incorporate pulses such as tur and urad.

The stock limit for each of these pulses for a wholesaler is 200 tonnes, and for the retailer five tonnes. For big chain retailers, the stock limit is 5 tonnes for each of the pulses at each retail outlet, and 200 tonnes each at depots.

For millers, the stock limits will be the last three months’ production or 25 per cent of the annual installed capacity, whichever is higher. Importers will not hold imported stock beyond 60 days from the date of custom clearance.

Further, legal entities should declare their stock position on the Department of Consumer Affairs’ portal and in case the stocks held by them are higher than the prescribed limits, they should bring the same down to the prescribed limits within 30 days, the notification said. Also the trade has been told to ensure that pulses stock is regularly declared and updated on the ministry portal.

Following the weak kharif sowing and rainfall pattern in June, the Government had imposed stock limits on these pulses till October 31 to curb hoarding and contain price rise. However, the prices of these pulses are ruling firm as production has been impacted by erratic rainfall.

According to the first advance estimates for the kharif 2023-24 season, tur production is estimated at 3.42 million tonnes, about 3.3 per cent higher than 2022-23’s final estimate of 3.31 million tonnes, while urad output is seen 14.7 per cent lower at 1.51 million tonnes, against last year’s 1.77 million tonnes.