Urad prices have started to soften, owing to a series of proactive measures by the Central Government. The Department of Consumer Affairs has played a role in stabilizing prices, ensuring consumers benefit from lower costs while farmers receive favourable price realizations.
According to Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, this positive trend is supported by good rainfall, which has significantly enhanced the sowing area for Urad. As of July 5, the area sown for Urad reached 5.37 lakh hectares, a notable increase from 3.67 lakh hectares during the same period last year.
Major Urad-producing states like Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra are expected to see a bountiful Kharif production this year. The government's efforts to boost Urad production include encouraging farmers to shift towards pulse cultivation. This is being facilitated through pre-registration initiatives by the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) and the National Cooperative Consumer Federation of India Ltd (NCCF).
These pre-registration drives aim to ensure that farmers are well-prepared for the Kharif sowing season. In Madhya Pradesh alone, 8,487 Urad farmers have registered through NCCF and NAFED. Other major states such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh have also shown substantial participation with pre-registrations of 2,037, 1,611, and 1,663 farmers respectively, read the press release.
The procurement of summer Urad under the Price Support Scheme (PSS) by NAFED and NCCF is currently underway, further stabilizing the market. Consequently, wholesale prices of Urad have seen a week-on-week decline of 3.12 per cent in Indore and 1.08 per cent in Delhi as of July 6. Moreover, the landed prices of imported Urad are also on a declining trend, reflecting the positive impact of domestic market dynamics. (ANI)
