Tur dal turns expensive as India, global demand rises.

Pune: Domestic as well as the international prices of tur have started moving upward as demand grew in India amid declining availability and concerns over monsoon rainfall. 

Myanmar will harvest its tur crop in June and has started quoting higher prices as the demand and prices of tur have been moving upward in India. The Indian government has allowed import of 1.75 lakh tonnes of tur from Mozambique and will issue licences to dal millers for import of an additional 2 lakh tonnes of tur. 

Wholesale prices of whole tur have crossed the minimum support level set by government after a gap of 2.5 years. Presently, price of whole tur is ruling at about Rs 58/kg in Latur in Maharashtra, while the ex-mill price of tur dal (made by splitting whole tur) are ruling at about Rs 85/kg. Retail tur dal prices have already crossed the Rs 100/kg benchmark. Earlier, tur dal prices had briefly touched Rs 100/ kg in 2009, while they had ruled above Rs 200/kg in retail for a few months in 2015. 

Myanmar and a few African countries are the only producers of tur apart from India. The availability of tur from African countries has declined as India had put import restrictions. “Lower sowing in the last kharif season, restrictions on imports and concerns over the next season’s monsoon have driven prices of most pulses upward by Rs 7/kg to Rs 8/kg during the last month,” said Nitin Kalantry, a Latur-based dal miller. Flow of imports and sale of stocks held by the government’s procurement agencies will help the price of pulses to remain range bound. Suresh Agrawal, president, All India Dal Millers Association said, “We expect imported pulses to come to India in two months. If imports are delayed, then there could be some impact on domestic prices of pulses.” The course of next monsoon will prove to be decisive factor influencing prices of pulses. The Meteorological Department has forecast delay of 5 days in onset of monsoon over Kerala. Private forecaster Skymet has forecast delayed below normal rainfall in Marathwada and Vidarbha, key areas growing kharif pulses in India.