4 August 2023, Mumbai: Skyrocketing food prices have broken the back of the common man. Not only the prices of tomatoes have gone up during monsoons, but other food and drink items have also gone up. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Food and Consumer Affairs has also presented government food statistics this week during the monsoon session of Parliament. These government figures show that prices of specialty foods other than potatoes have risen sharply.
Ministry response
Ministry of Food and Consumer Affairs told Parliament this week that the prices of toor dal have increased by as much as 28 percent in the past one year. This was followed by an increase in the price of rice by 10.5 per cent, udi dal and flour by 8 per cent each. The average retail price of paddy on Thursday was Rs 41 per kg, up from Rs 37 a year ago.
The ministry attributed the increase in the price of tur dal to shortfall in domestic production. It said that according to the agriculture ministry’s third advance estimate for the 2022-23 crop year, the production of tur dal is estimated at 34.3 lakh tonnes as against 42.2 lakh tonnes in the previous crop year.
Consumer Affairs
According to the Consumer Affairs Ministry’s Price Monitoring Cell, the average retail price of tur dal on Thursday was Rs 136 per kg, as against Rs 106.5 per kg last year. The price of Udid dal has gone up to Rs 114 per kg from last year’s Rs 106.5. The price of moong dal has also gone up to Rs 102 per kg, which was Rs 111 last year. Among vegetables, the all-India average retail price of potato is about 12 percent lower than last year, while the price of onion is about 5 percent higher than a year ago, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, regarding tomato prices, the ministry said that the seasonal condition of the crop, whitefly disease in Kolar and the imminent arrival of monsoon in the northern part of the country have led to an increase in tomato prices in recent weeks. Tomato crops have been hit in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, with heavy rains disrupting supply in various areas. The average price of tomatoes on Thursday was Rs 140 per kg, compared to Rs 34 last year, according to government figures.