The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Hoarding pushes up prices of pulses

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 21, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Hoarding pushes up prices of pulses

M. Srinivas

2,356 quintals seized in raids on major retail outlets

HYDERABAD: Has the unprecedented retail outlet boom led to skyrocketing of prices of pulses?

With the retail outlets, which opened in good numbers in the twin cities, stocking up pulses in good quantities, it led to a great demand in the market. "Prices have gone up as the demand is more and supply is less," a senior official of Civil Supplies department admitted.

With the posh retail outlets fixing their own price structure, generally higher than the rates in kirana stores, the latter also followed suit and jacked up prices. For instance, the price of first category red gram in a popular outlet in the city is Rs.45 and second category is Rs.38.50, while Bengal gram is priced 54.90.

On the other hand, the Civil Supplies Department fixes the price of first category red gram at Rs.35.63, second category at Rs.31.39 and Bengal gram at Rs.35.90. In some outlets, "No Stock" boards are being displayed following ongoing raids. The seizure of 2,356 quintals of pulses worth Rs.74 lakhs in raids on major outlets in the city over the last three days, showed how hoarding had a deadly impact on the market. Fifteen quintals of pulses worth Rs. 64,000 were seized in a raid conducted on Hyderabad Central in Punjagutta on Tuesday, District Supply Officer Syed Kurshid Ali said.

However, traders argue that the gap in demand and supply owing to crop failure contributed to the rise in prices. "We are importing pulses from Burma, China and Australia via Mumbai at higher prices to meet the demand and this is certainly affecting prices in the State. Even farmers are not cultivating pulses due to unusual changes in seasonal conditions," Hyderabad Dal Mills and Merchants Association president R.D. Agarwal said.

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