Lok Sabha Question No. 360 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-11-19
Subject: Prices of Essential Commodities
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: S. Venkatesan, Dayakar Pasunoori, Venkatesh Netha Borlakunta, Geetha Viswanath Vanga, Abdul Majeed Ariff, Reddeppa Nallakonda Gari

## Government of India

## Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Department of Consumer Affairs

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 360

TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.11.2019

## PRICES OF ESSENTIAL COMMODITIES

360. SHRI  S.  VENKATESAN:  SHRI  PASUNOORI  DAYAKAR:  SHRI  VENKATESH  NETHA BORLAKUNTA:  SHRIMATI VANGA GEETHA VISWANATH: ADV. A.M. ARIFF: SHRI N. REDDEPPA:

## 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 Government is aware of the rise/fall in prices of various essential commodities including vegetables, tomato, edible oils, various pulses and onion in the country; .
- (b) if so, the details thereof comparatively during the last three years, item-wise along with the reasons for such rise of various prices; and
- (c) the details of remedial steps taken/ being taken by the Government to contain the rising food prices in future along with the alternative measures taken by evolving a proper mechanism as on date?

## ANSWER

## miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k jkT; ea=h ¼Jh nkuos jkolkgsc nknkjko½

## THE MINISTER OF STATE CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI DANVE RAOSAHEB DADARAO)

- (a) &  (b)  :  All  India  Daily  Average  Retail  Prices  of  22  essential  food  items  including  vegetables, tomato, edible oils and pulses during the last three years is at Annexure .   Prices of food items are interalia  affected  by  mismatch  in  demand  and  supply,  shortfall  in  production  owing  to  adverse  weather conditions and seasonality, increased transportation costs, supply chain constraints like lack of storage facilities, artificial shortage created by hoarding and black marketing, etc.
- (c) :   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 duty and export management through instruments like Minimum Export Price, export restrictions, etc. to regulate domestic availability and moderate prices; imposition of stock limits and advising States for  effective  action  against  hoarders & black marketers. Also appropriate Minimum Support  Price are promulgated  to  incentivize  farmers  for  increasing  production.  Government  is  also  implementing Schemes  which,  inter  alia,  include  Mission  for  Integrated  Development  of  Horticulture  (MIDH), National  Food  Security  Mission  (NFSM),  etc.  for  increasing  agricultural  production  and  productivity through appropriate interventions.

Besides, Government is also implementing Price Stabilization Fund (PSF) to help moderate the volatility in prices of agri-horticultural commodities like pulses, onion, and potato. Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) is implementing scheme 'Operation Greens' for integrated development of Tomato, Onion  and  Potato  (TOP)  value  chain  which,  inter  alia,  has  the  objective  of  price  stabilization  for producers and consumers through production planning in the TOP clusters and introduction of dual use varieties.

Review meetings on price and availability situation of essential commodities  are held at the highest level including at the level of Ministers, Committee of Secretaries, Inter Ministerial Committee, Price  Stabilization  Fund  Management  Committee  and  other  Departmental  level  review  meetings  for taking appropriate price intervention decisions including possible market-intervention, if any.

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## ANNEXURE

## ANNEUXURE  REFERRED  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  &  (b)  OF  LOK  SABHA  UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 360 FOR 19.11.2019 REGARDING 'PRICES OF ESSENTIAL COMMODITIES'

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## ALL INDIA YEARLY AVERAGE RETAIL PRICES OF 22 ESSENTIAL FOOD ITEMS MONITORED BY DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS

(Unit: in ₹/kg.)

| Year Commodity         |   2016 |   2017 |   2018 |   2019 (Till 13.11.2019) |
|------------------------|--------|--------|--------|--------------------------|
| Rice                   |  27.32 |  29.23 |  30.05 |                    31.38 |
| Wheat                  |  23.57 |  23.9  |  24.2  |                    26.6  |
| Atta (Wheat)           |  25.16 |  26.24 |  26.43 |                    28.12 |
| Gram Dal               |  90.78 |  87.28 |  66.47 |                    65.89 |
| Tur/Arhar Dal          | 131.72 |  84.02 |  71.07 |                    80.55 |
| Urad Dal               | 136.95 |  92.35 |  70.83 |                    74.37 |
| Moong Dal              |  94.55 |  77.57 |  73.46 |                    80.1  |
| Masoor Dal             |  82.75 |  70.32 |  61.29 |                    62.61 |
| Groundnut Oil (Packed) | 130.99 | 131    | 125.79 |                   129.15 |
| Mustard Oil (Packed)   | 109.47 | 106.98 | 106.16 |                   109.28 |
| Vanaspati (Packed)     |  74.4  |  77.71 |  80.32 |                    80.15 |
| Soya Oil (Packed)      |  82.61 |  85.21 |  89.34 |                    92.09 |
| Sunflower Oil (Packed) |  95.11 |  93.1  |  96.28 |                    99.45 |
| Palm Oil (Packed)      |  68.58 |  70.37 |  76.68 |                    75.53 |
| Potato                 |  19.28 |  14.94 |  19.02 |                    17.93 |
| Onion                  |  16.79 |  22.41 |  23.64 |                    24.68 |
| Tomato                 |  26.01 |  32.32 |  21.82 |                    31.02 |
| Sugar                  |  38.62 |  42.63 |  38.92 |                    38.56 |
| Gur                    |  42.02 |  44.72 |  43.11 |                    43.93 |
| Milk (₹/ltr.)          |  39.96 |  41.58 |  42.31 |                    43.57 |
| Tea Loose              | 199.02 | 202.76 | 209.19 |                   211.84 |
| Salt Pack (Iodised)    |  14.98 |  15.11 |  15.22 |                    15.37 |

Source: - State Civil Supplies Deptt. *****