Lok Sabha Question No. 81 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-11
Subject: Increase in Price of Essential Food Items
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: P.K.SREEMATHI TEACHER

## Government of India Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution

## Department of Consumer Affairs

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 81

TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.12.2018

## INCREASE IN PRICE OF ESSENTIAL FOOD ITEMS

81. SHRIMATI P.K. SREEMATHI TEACHER:

## 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  prices  of  essential  food  items  have  drastically  increased  during  the  last  few years;
- (b) if so, the details thereof, item-wise and the reasons therefor; and
- (c) the corrective measures taken by the Government in this regard?

## 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) & (b) :  The all India yearly average retail prices of most of the 22 essential food items monitored by  Department  of  Consumer  Affairs  have  declined  or  remained  relatively  stable  over  three  years including the year 2018 so far. Prices of food items like pulses (gram, tur, urad, moong, masoor) and edible oils like mustard and groundnut (packed) have declined over three years. However, food items like  rice,  atta,  vanaspati  oil,  soya  oil  and  palm  oil  (packed),  onion  and  milk  have  shown  some marginal increase. Details are at Annexure.

Increase in prices of food items is mainly on account of demand supply mismatch owing to shortfall in production because of adverse weather condition and seasonality, increased transportation  costs,  supply  chain  constraints  like  lack  of  storage  facilities  and  artificial  shortage created by hoarding and black marketing.

- (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  and  export  duty,  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  ;  and,  provision  of  higher  Minimum  Support  Prices  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), National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm (NMOOP), 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 agrihorticultural commodities like pulses, onion, and potato.

ANNEXURE REFERRED IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) & (b) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.81 FOR 11.12.2018 REGARDING INCREASE IN PRICE OF ESSENTIAL FOOD ITEMS.

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

(Unit: in Rs/kg)

| Year Commodities       |   2016 (1.1.2016 to 31.12.2016) |   2017 (1.1.2017 to 31.12.2017) |   2018 (1.1.2018 to 04.12.2018) |
|------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
| Rice                   |                           27.32 |                           29.23 |                           30.05 |
| Wheat                  |                           23.57 |                           23.9  |                           24.13 |
| Atta (wheat)           |                           25.16 |                           26.24 |                           26.36 |
| Gram Dal               |                           90.78 |                           87.28 |                           66.5  |
| Tur Dal                |                          131.72 |                           84.02 |                           71.01 |
| Urad Dal               |                          136.95 |                           92.35 |                           70.8  |
| Moong Dal              |                           94.55 |                           77.57 |                           73.33 |
| Masoor Dal             |                           82.75 |                           70.32 |                           61.28 |
| Groundnut Oil (Packed) |                          130.99 |                          131    |                          125.69 |
| Mustard Oil (Packed)   |                          109.47 |                          106.98 |                          105.99 |
| Vanaspati Oil(Packed)  |                           74.4  |                           77.71 |                           80.29 |
| Soya Oil(Packed)       |                           82.61 |                           85.21 |                           89.23 |
| Sunflower Oil(Packed)  |                           95.11 |                           93.1  |                           96.16 |
| Palm Oil(Packed)       |                           68.58 |                           70.37 |                           76.74 |
| Potato                 |                           19.28 |                           14.94 |                           19.01 |
| Onion                  |                           16.79 |                           22.41 |                           23.97 |
| Tomato                 |                           26.01 |                           32.32 |                           21.83 |
| Sugar                  |                           38.62 |                           42.63 |                           38.97 |
| Gur                    |                           42.02 |                           44.72 |                           43.16 |
| Milk@ ₹ per ltr.       |                           39.96 |                           41.58 |                           42.29 |
| Tea Loose              |                          199.02 |                          202.76 |                          209.15 |
| Salt                   |                           14.98 |                           15.11 |                           15.21 |

Source: - State Civil Supplies Deptt.