Agri News: Consumers go for cheaper pulses due to rising in tur dal prices

Prices of tur (arhar) dal keep rising so that consumers are driving to newer and cheaper varieties of pulses such as dun peas, green lentils and yellow peas.

Rs 150-200 a kg while dun peas Tur dal is selling for as are much cheaper at Rs 45 a kg and yellow peas Rs 45-50 per kg.

Green lentils are currently priced at Rs 100 a kg.

Sunil Baldeva of Siliguri Associates, an importer and trader based in Delhi's Naya Bazar market, said that with arhar and chana dal prices firming up, people have shifted to yellow peas. "It's being used to prepare dal by dhabas and restaurants, flour, roasted and fried snacks in north, east and central India," he said. According to Dongre, import of yellow peas has soared to 2224 lakh tonnes a year in India compared to 15-16 lakh tonnes earlier.

Traders said consumers have been quick to shift to other varieties of pulses to ensure that their grocery budgets are not disturbed due to higher prices of the varieties that they usually consume.

If the trend continues, pulse traders said that demand could touch 25-30 lakh tonnes in the year ahead. Similarly, import of green lentils is also expected to grow next year from 1.5-1.7 lakh tonnes at present.

Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/