Crackdown on hoarders as BJP feels ‘dal’ heat

There are three phases of polls for 162 of 243 assembly seats left in politically crucial state. However, experts say that the raids could further lead to rise in prices of lentils as traders have decided not to lift the imported tur dal from ports.

The raids started after the Centre empowered states to cap the stock limit on October 18. Till date Maharashtra government alone has seized 23,340 tonnes of pulses during 276 raids carried out in 

16 districts. On raids, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said, “Around 3,300 searches were conducted and 36,000 tonnes have been recovered. The seized pulses will be milled and offloaded in the market which will ease the prices of pulses in wholesale and retail market.”

“To some extent the raids conducted by state governments to check hoarding of the commodity has resulted in pushing down the prices of pulses, but will it continue, definitely not,” quipped Ramesh Chandra Lahoti, president of Bangalore Grain Merchant Association.

“We have stopped lifting imported pulses. We have limited stock that would last 15 days and the new crop will come in December. Till then we have to procure the imported pulses and since raids are happening in panic mode, traders have boycotted lifting imported lentils. It will result in steep rise in prices of pulses,” Lahoti added.

“Also a representation of importers’ association, which had recently called on Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has urged him to keep them out of stock limit ambit. If it happens, the price of pulses would touch the sky as price of tur dal has already reached Rs 210/kg mark. It’s the failure of government’s intelligence that corporate majors like Reliance, Tata, Adani and Mahindra have minted money by creating the crisis,” said Lahoti, who has asked traders to declare their stock limits to bring to notice of the Centre that it’s their policy failure.

Agreeing with Lahoti, Delhi Grain Merchant Association’s president Naresh Gupta said, “The Centre should have given some time limit after effecting changes in Central Order under Essential Commodities Act to enable states to impose stock limits on pulses sourced from imports, held by exporters, large food processing units as well as large departmental retailers.”

 “Since government is importing about 5,000 MT pulses in next three months and unless we would not be given 90 days to sell the stock by Centre, it will be very tough for us to procure the imported lentils,” Gupta said, adding that the Centre should first include the big retail chains and MNCs in their action.

Even after protests by traders in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, the government has clearly said that raids will continue. In Madhya Pradesh around 25 processors (dal mills) 

declared closure.