Tur Dal sells at 2015 price level, breaches Rs 200/kg mark

Despite all efforts to control the prices of arhar dal, the price in the retail market has reached Rs 200 a kg. In online grocery stores, it is available at Rs 215-225 per kg, crossing Rs 200 per kg. Earlier in October 2015, Arhar dal had touched this level. Retail prices have increased by Rs 70-80 per kg since June 2023.

Due to rise in the prices of Pigeon pea, Moong, Masoor and Gram dal have also come under pressure and their retail prices have also increased. While the retail price of masoor dal has reached Rs 110-120 per kg and that of gram has reached Rs 90-100 per kg, moong dal is being sold at the price of Rs 130 per kg. The new crop of Pigeon pea will start arriving from November. After that the prices are likely to soften.

When Rural Voice investigated the wholesale and retail prices of arhar dal, it was found that the wholesale price of arhar dal in the mandis has reached Rs 14,500-16,400 per quintal. In the retail market, the price of common quality arhar dal has reached Rs 180-190 per kg and may soon reach Rs 200 per kg. At the same time, the price of better quality arhar dal has crossed Rs 200 per kg. Branded arhar dal is available at Rs 215-225 per kg on online grocery stores like Amazon, Blinkit, Jio Mart, Zepto.

According to data from the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, the average retail price of arhar dal at the all-India level stood at Rs 150.56 per kg on October 11, 2023, which was Rs 144.67 per kg a month ago and Rs 112.03 per kg a year ago. The biggest reason for the continuous rise in the prices of pigeon pea is the shortfall of 7.90 lakh tonnes in production last year (2023-23). There is every possibility of production decreasing in the current Kharif season (2023-24) also.

According to the data of the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the area under sowing of pigeon pea has decreased from 45.61 lakh hectares in 2022 to 42.92 lakh hectares in 2023. This is sure to impact production, which is likely to affect prices. Even in view of this, there is a bullish trend in the prices.