Tur prices finally get reduce

Will cost Rs 65 per kg in a month after reaching 3-month high of Rs 120 a kg

The rising price of tur dal, which had become synonyms with the high cost of foodgrains and pulses, is finally expected to come down within a month.
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The agriculture commissioner credits the unexpected rain in November, after which the production of tur dal has gone up by 2 lakh metric tonnes in Maharashtra.

The dal that costs Rs 100 per kg now will cost around Rs 65 per kg in a month's time. Three months ago, when the prices started to rise, tur dal used to cost around Rs 40 a kg.

Helping Farmers

Prabhakar Deshmukh, state agriculture commissioner, said, "The rains on November 11 came at a time when the tur crop, which was at the flowering stage, needed irrigation.



The yield has gone up from six lakh metric tonnes last year to eight lakh metric tonnes this year.

And the quality is better than it's been in years, as we have done a lot to save the crop from pests."

The state government has spent nearly Rs 2.5 crore in 2009 to hire around 800 people to study the tur dal crops and the insects, pests and diseases that affect them.
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They would call farmers every four days and update them on the care they needed to take for a good yield. "Since the quality and quantity has gone up, the prices of tur dal will fall," added Deshmukh.

Good for Buyers?

Shop owners too believe the drop in prices. Deepak Rambhia, a grain stock supplier and owner of Malad Dal Mill, said, "There's plenty of tur dal being supplied to theu00a0 market and the inflow will surely affect prices."

But Ambalal Mehta, a grocery shop owner in Lalbaug, isn't sure if the inflow will help consumers.
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"The prices of tur dal went up, as its demand compared to other dal is high.

I don't know if the dal would reach the common man at the lower price or will it be stocked by the middleman to make more money," said Mehta.