Retailers directed to reduce profit margin on pulses to provide relief to consumers

17-Jul-2024 03:30 PM

New Delhi. The Central Government has said that during the last one month, the prices of tur, urad and chana dal have fallen by about 4 percent in major wholesale markets, but the retail price of these pulses has not decreased in proportion to this.

The government has asked the retailers to charge a reasonable profit margin on pulses to provide relief to the common consumers.

Along with this, the government has also warned that strict action will be taken against unwanted elements who indulge in irregularities or manipulation in the business of pulses. 

It is known that on July 16, the Department of Consumer Affairs had organized a meeting with the Retailers Association of India to discuss the price scenario regarding pulses, which was chaired by Nidhi Khare, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs.

In that meeting, compliance of storage limits imposed on tur and chana was also reviewed. Representatives of major retail chain firms - Reliance Retail, D-Mart, Tata Stores, Spencer's, B-Mart and RSPG were also present in this meeting among others. It is worth mentioning that the number of members of this association is more than 2300 and it has more than 6 lakh retail outlets across the country. 

According to an official statement, the Consumer Affairs Secretary informed that in the last one month, the prices of gram, tur and urad have come down by up to 4 percent in the major mandis (wholesale markets), but the retail price has come down accordingly.

The Secretary said that a mismatch is being seen between the wholesale market price and the retail price, which seems to indicate that the retailers are keeping a high margin of profit.

The retail industry should provide proper cooperation and support to the efforts being made by the government to bring the prices of pulses to a reasonable level for the consumers.