Centre calls state food ministers’ meet on inflation

To control spiralling prices of pulses and other essential food items, the Centre will hold a meeting of all state food ministers on July 7 to chalk out strategies to jointly tackle the crisis in the backdrop of possible deficient rains this year.

The day-long meeting is likely to be chaired by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and presided over by 

both Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan and Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh. “We are calling a meeting of state food ministers on July 7 to discuss ways to control <g data-gr-id="25">unreasonable</g> increase in prices of some commodities like pulses,” Paswan said. The meeting will also deliberate on measures to prevent hoarding and review reforms undertaken under the existing Agricultural Produce Market Committee Act, sources said.

Besides, the meeting will also discuss the likely poor monsoon situation during the July-August period and ways to prevent <g data-gr-id="23">spike</g> in food inflation, they added. Pulses prices have risen by more than 60 per cent in most parts of the country. Retail prices have already breached Rs 100 per kg mark due to <g data-gr-id="22">shortfall</g> in domestic output by 2 million tonnes in 2014-15 crop year (July-June).

Similarly, onion prices have increased by up to 40 per cent in metro cities. aRetail prices of onion in Delhi has touched Rs 34/kg at present, as against Rs 24/kg a year ago. To rein in prices, the government has tendered import of 5,000 tonnes of tur dal and is expected to float another bid for import of 5,000 tonnes of <g data-gr-id="41">urad</g>.