Lok Sabha Question No. 483 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-02-06
Subject: Price of Essential Commodities
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: DODDAALAHALLI KEMPEGOWDA SURESH, G. HARI

## Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution

## Government of India Department of Consumer Affairs

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 483

TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.02.2018

## PRICE OF ESSENTIAL COMMODITIES

483.

## SHRI D.K. SURESH: SHRI G. HARI:

## Will  the  Minister  of  CONSUMER  AFFAIRS,  FOOD  AND  PUBLIC  DISTRIBUTION miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k ea=h be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the price of essential commodities are on the rise in the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether it is true that the Government has set up Price Monitoring Cell (PMC) to give suggestion on the pricing of essential commodities, if so, the details of the role and responsibilities of the PMC;
- (c) whether the prices of some of the essential commodities were monitored by PMC for the last two years and if so, the details thereof, year-wise;
- (d) whether  the  Government  has  received  all  the  necessary  information  on  the  price  trends  and availability of essential food items during the last three years and if so, the details thereof, yearwise;
- (e) whether it is true that the price of eggs has hit an all time high and eggs have become as costly as chicken; and
- (f) whether  the  Government  is  considering  to  take  action  to  streamline  the  price  of  all  essential commodities and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k jkT; ea=h ¼Jh lh- vkj- pkS/kjh½

## THE MINISTER OF STATE CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI C. R. CHAUDHARY)

(a) :  Details of inflation rate as per All-India Consumer Food Price Inflation (CFPI), brought out by M/o Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) are as under:

Base 2012=100

| Inflation (%)   | Inflation (%)   |   Inflation (%) |   Inflation (%) |
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
| Year Month      | 2017            |         2016    |         2015    |
| August          | 1.52            |            5.91 |            2.2  |
| September       | 1.25            |            3.96 |            3.88 |
| October         | 1.90            |            3.32 |            5.25 |
| November        | 4.35            |            2.03 |            6.07 |
| December        | 4.96(p)         |            1.37 |            6.4  |

(

(b)  to  (d)  :  The  Price  Monitoring  Cell  (PMC),  set  up  in  the  Department  of  Consumer  Affairs  is monitoring, on a daily basis, prices of 22 essential food items which includes cereals (rice and wheat), pulses  (gram,  arhar,  urad,  moong  and  masoor  dal),  vegetables  (potato,  onion  and  tomato),  edible  oils (groundnut, mustard, vanaspati, soya, sunflower and palm oil) & others (atta, milk, sugar, tea, gur and salt). Price trends for last three years, based on the information from reporting centres is at Annexure .

- (e) :  As  per  the  Sub  group  level  Consumer  Price  Index  (CPI)  brought  out  by  MoSPI,  the percentage increase in price of eggs in recent months of 2017 as are as under:

|          | Base 2012=100   |
|----------|-----------------|
| October  | 0.77            |
| November | 8.26            |
| December | 9.48(p)         |

(P): Provisional

(f) : Government has taken various measures from time to time to stabilize prices of essential food items which, inter-alia, include  appropriately  utilizing  trade  and  fiscal  policy  instruments  like  import and export duty, Minimum Export Price, export restrictions, etc. to regulate domestic availability and moderate prices; imposition of stock limits; and creation of buffer stock of up to 20 lakh MT of pulses and,  provision  of  higher  Minimum  Support  Prices  to  incentivize  farmers  for  increasing  production. Besides, Government is also implementing Price Stabilization Fund (PSF) scheme to help moderate the volatility in prices of agri-horticultural commodities like onion, potato and pulses.

*****

## ANNEXURE

## STATEMENT REFERRED IN REPLY TO PARTS (b) To (d) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.483  FOR  06.02.2018  REGARDING  PRICE  OF ESSENTIAL COMMODITIES.

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## ALL INDIA DAILY AVERAGE PRICES (in ₹ /kg)

| Commodities            | Daily Average Retail Price   | Daily Average Retail Price   | Daily Average Retail Price   | Daily Average Retail Price   | Daily Average Wholesale Price   | Daily Average Wholesale Price   | Daily Average Wholesale Price   | Daily Average Wholesale Price   |
|------------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
| Commodities            | Price As On                  | 1 Year Ago                   | 2 years Ago                  | 3 Years Ago                  | Price As On                     | 1 Year Ago                      | 2 years Ago                     | 3 Years Ago                     |
| Commodities            | 01-02-18                     | 01-02- 17                    | 01-02-16                     | 30-01-15                     | 01-02-18                        | 01-02-17                        | 01-02-16                        | 30-01-15                        |
| Rice                   | 30.51                        | 28.86                        | 27.73                        | 27.72                        | 2719.91                         | 2590.08                         | 2492.69                         | 2484.48                         |
| Wheat                  | 24.4                         | 24.76                        | 24.16                        | 22.91                        | 2173.1                          | 2205.78                         | 2135                            | 2062.69                         |
| Atta (Wheat)           | 26.66                        | 27.21                        | 25.24                        | 24.88                        | 2341.88                         | 2396.21                         | 2249.94                         | 2172.86                         |
| Gram Dal               | 72.72                        | 108.6                        | 66.54                        | 47.8                         | 6558.03                         | 9933.29                         | 6150.3                          | 4340.17                         |
| Tur/Arhar Dal          | 73.77                        | 99.03                        | 143.29                       | 78.15                        | 6677.73                         | 9059.64                         | 13492.77                        | 7346.47                         |
| Urad Dal               | 74.37                        | 105.28                       | 139.92                       | 79.4                         | 6724.12                         | 9544.58                         | 13358.41                        | 7468.33                         |
| Moong Dal              | 74.44                        | 79.61                        | 103.82                       | 99.2                         | 6735.62                         | 7153.28                         | 9613.07                         | 9355.44                         |
| Masoor Dal             | 62.87                        | 78.22                        | 82.48                        | 74.59                        | 5507.89                         | 7056.49                         | 7569.14                         | 6944.06                         |
| Sugar                  | 41.06                        | 41.44                        | 33.84                        | 33.84                        | 3793.09                         | 3897.2                          | 3126.62                         | 3100.23                         |
| Milk@                  | 42.4                         | 40.53                        | 39.12                        | 38.88                        | 3942.22                         | 3723.72                         | 3667.5                          | 3616.35                         |
| Groundnut Oil (Packed) | 126.59                       | 134.55                       | 122.59                       | 118.53                       | 11955.32                        | 12549.09                        | 11546.07                        | 11183.57                        |
| Mustard Oil (Packed)   | 107.63                       | 110.59                       | 112.49                       | 101.46                       | 9923.95                         | 10054.91                        | 10386.27                        | 9362.1                          |
| Vanaspati (Packed)     | 79.4                         | 77.93                        | 72.14                        | 77                           | 7340.75                         | 7153.15                         | 6621.5                          | 7096.82                         |
| Soya Oil (Packed)      | 87.44                        | 86.58                        | 81.74                        | 84.26                        | 8128.22                         | 7979.38                         | 7504.71                         | 7761.59                         |
| Sunflower Oil (Packed) | 93.92                        | 94.17                        | 97.21                        | 94.76                        | 8738.63                         | 8833.07                         | 9083.54                         | 8742.43                         |
| Palm Oil (Packed)      | 73.42                        | 71.52                        | 62.93                        | 67.85                        | 6840.84                         | 6694.46                         | 5886.15                         | 6283.77                         |
| Gur                    | 45.12                        | 43                           | 39.74                        | 40.65                        | 3998.06                         | 3796.06                         | 3542.94                         | 3549.94                         |
| Tea Loose              | 207.92                       | 201.37                       | 203.35                       | 206.59                       | 18623.52                        | 17978.77                        | 18449.1                         | 18285.97                        |
| Salt Pack (Iodised)    | 15.01                        | 15.05                        | 14.96                        | 14.82                        | 1256.23                         | 1261.43                         | 1270.36                         | 1276.36                         |
| Potato                 | 14.88                        | 14.24                        | 15.74                        | 18.79                        | 1082.35                         | 1059.08                         | 1232.06                         | 1439.5                          |
| Onion                  | 39.34                        | 14.72                        | 21.4                         | 24.23                        | 3231.66                         | 1083.41                         | 1723.72                         | 1948.98                         |
| Tomato                 | 21.03                        | 15.28                        | 22.7                         | 22.1                         | 1555.55                         | 1133.2                          | 1832.48                         | 1648.21                         |

Source:-  State Civil Supplies Department @: ₹/ltr