Lok Sabha Question No. 2106 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-12
Subject: Food Inflation
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Shri Manickam Tagore B, Shri Vijayakumar Alias Vijay Vasanth

## Government of India

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2106

TO BE ANSWERED ON 12.03.2025

## FOOD INFLATION

## 2106.  SHRI MANICKAM TAGORE B:

SHRI VIJAYAKUMAR ALIAS VIJAY VASANTH:

Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  food  inflation  remains  above  8  percent  despite  claims  of  price  stability  and  favourable production estimates for pulses and onions and if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (b) the steps taken by the Government to ensure price stabilization and protect farmers from exploitation by middlemen in view of increased production of tur dal during 2024-25;
- (c) the manner in which the Government plans to ensure that expected increase in onion production during 2024  reaches  consumer  markets  in  a  timely  and  efficient  manner  to  prevent  shortages  and  price fluctuations;
- (d) the concrete measures being taken by the Government to ensure that the reduction in food inflation is sustained  during  2025  particularly  given  the  ongoing  global  supply  chain  disruptions  affecting domestic food prices; and
- (e) the mechanism of the Government to monitor the prices of essential food commodities including tur, onions and prevent hoarding and speculative pricing?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI B.L.VERMA)

- (a)  : No,  Sir.  As  per  latest  data  of  food  inflation,  measured  by  year-on-year  percentage  variation  in Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI) published by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, is 6.02% in January 2025.
- (b)  to  (d)  In  order  to  incentivise  pulses  production,  including  Tur,  for  price  stabilisation  and  to  project farmers, the government initiated pre-registration through procuring agencies namely, National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumers' Federation (NCCF) for direct  procurement.  In  the  current  procurement  season  of  2024-25,  NAFED  and  NCCF  together  procured 80,836 MT of Tur, till date.

In order to tackle the volatility in prices, government maintains buffer stocks of pulses and onion for market  interventions  through  calibrated  and  targeted  release  to  moderate  the  prices  in  the  market.  During 2024-25, government procured 4.70 lakh metric tonnes of Onion for PSF buffer. Onion from the buffer had been released during September to December, 2024 in a calibrated and targeted manner to moderate prices in high price consuming centres at wholesale markets and through retail outlets. Onions from the buffer were distributed among retail consumers at Rs.35 per kg through stationary retail outlets and mobile vans in major consumption centres.

Government  keeps  a  close  watch  on  the  production  and  availability  of  essential  agri-horticultural commodities through regular reviews by the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC). The Committee reviews, on regular basis, the situation of prices and price trends of essential agri-horticulture commodities and suggests measures to enhance availability through increased domestic production and through imports.  The deliberations and policy recommendations of the IMC includes global scenario and measures to protect the domestic consumers and farmers from supply chain disruptions.

(e)    :    Department  of  Consumer Affairs monitors the daily retail and wholesale prices of 38 essential food commodities, including prices of Tur dal and Onion, submitted by the 555 price monitoring centres that have been set up with Central assistance by the State Governments and UT Administrations across the country. The daily report of prices and indicative price trends are duly analysed for taking appropriate decisions such as release of stocks from the buffer, stock disclosure by stockholding entities, imposition of stock limits, changes in trade policy instruments like rationalisation of import duty, changes in import quota, restrictions on exports of the commodity etc.

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