New Delhi: The Centre is closely monitoring the prices and availability of essential food commodities to ensure affordability to the consumers and to maintain a stable price regime.
According to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, the production of pulses and onion in 2024-25 is estimated to increase over last year due to good monsoon rains and favourable weather conditions. Tur production is estimated to be 35.02 LMT which is 2.5 per cent higher than last year’s production.
Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has issued sanctions for the procurement of Tur during the current marketing season. Chana and Masur production is expected to be good on account of good sowing and favourable soil moisture and weather conditions. Kharif Moong production is estimated to be 13.83 LMT, higher by 20 per cent compared to the previous year's production of 11.54 LMT.
Discussing on production of pulses, a farmer of Uttar Pradesh and agriculture expert Dharmendra Malik told ETV Bharat, "If we talk about rainfall in UP, there was noticed low rans in some clusters following which we did not get sugar cane produc as per expectation. Several times, farmers have seen a mismatch in actual production and expected estimate."
Kharif and Late Kharif onion production has been estimated to be good on account of higher sowing. Similarly, the Rabi onion sowing has been progressing well. Similarly, the sowing of potato has been reported to be progressing well with favourable climatic conditions.
Another farmer of Uttar Pradesh Amarpal Singh told ETV Bharat, "If we go by the government's estimate then farmers will get more pulses production which means more economic benefits but this is dependent on future."
The calendar year 2024 came to a close with the December retail inflation rate of 5.22 per cent which is significantly lower than the year’s peak of 6.21 per cent in October. Food inflation had also moderated in December to 8.39 per cent from 10.87 per cent in October. When compared with previous years, the annual average retail inflation rate of 4.95 per cent in 2024 is lower than rates for the previous two years which were 6.69 per cent in 2022 and 5.65 per cent in 2023.
Laxmi Narayan, a farmer whose village lies on the Haryana-Rajasthan border told ETV Bharat, "The pulses do not require more water, so more rains do not necessarily mean there will be more produce. But if the government is saying that due to good rain, the farmers growing pulses will get a good price for their produce, why was it not given last year? The rains were equally good in the previous monsoon season, so why did the farmers throw their onions on the roads? I believe that such statements do not make any sense for farmers, they must give a proper price for the produce."
Several measures taken under the Bharat brand had helped in bringing down the CPI pulses inflation rate from 19.54 per cent in January, 2024 to 3.83 per cent in December, 2024.
