Pricey pulses burn holes in consumers’ pockets in Odisha

With the prices of pulses skyrocketing in markets across Odisha, family budgets have gone haywire. 

According to sources, the price of arhar dal has increased by Rs 45 per kg in the last three months.

While the essential kitchen good is being sold at Rs 140 per kg at the wholesale market, it is priced at Rs 160 per kg in the retail market.

Meanwhile, the increasing price of the essential commodity is adding to the woes of the common men who already are struggling with soaring prices of other kitchen goods.

"May it be an LPG cylinder, fuel, or vegetables, prices of each and every essential commodity have increased by many folds. And now, the skyrocketing prices of pulses have added to the woes," said a resident of Bhubaneswar.

On the other hand, the traders' body has attributed the lack of regulation on the prices of essential commodities by the government as the major reason behind the soaring prices of pulses in the market.

“The production of arhar dal has declined by 10 to 15 per cent. Even if the production has gone down, it should not have been reflected in the marker price. Ever since the corporate houses have entered the business, there is no regulation and restriction on the prices of the essential commodities. The government is also supporting their monopoly," said Odisha Traders Association secretary Sudhakar Panda.

"The price hike is manmade. This is not just affecting the consumers but also the traders. This is not acceptable at all. I request the government to come up with a Law to keep an eye on these corporate houses," Panda added.