Maharashtra goes for stock limit of pulses

Drought-hit state wants to stop hoarding as prices shoot up

GN Bureau | October 20, 2015


#Maharashtra   #stock limit pulses   #State CM   #Devendra Fadnavis  

The Maharashtra government has set stock limits to regulate prices of pulses across markets in the state. The stock limit and regulation provisions would continue till September 2016.  The prices of pulses have risen due to short supply and it was felt that artificial shortage would compound the problems.

Those holding huge stocks of pulses will have to declare the quantity to tehsildars in their respective regions. It would be open to monitoring at regular intervals.

The big operators will not be allowed to stock more than 1,000 quintal and smaller ones 40 quintal of pulses daily. The regulation comes at a time when the domestic and international markets are reeling under severe shortage of pulses.

State chief minister Devendra Fadnavis held a meeting to bring the prices of pulses under control, taking the cue from guidelines provided by the Centre.  The state government is hoping for a better yield next season.

Agriculture Minister Eknath Khadse said, “While drought has badly hit pulse production in Marathwada, the retreating monsoon helped to recover the shortfall from parts of North Marathwada and Vidarbha.” The rains during retreat of monsoon in Vidarbha helped increase tur dal production by 10 to 12 per cent.

Pulse production from Vidarbha would help increase overall stock of tur dal by 10 to 15 per cent in the state. But crops like urad dal have been damaged.

The Centre has also urged the state governments to initiate measures to promote pulse and oilseed production by giving free seeds and fertilisers to farmers. It expects prices to come down by Rs 10 to 15 in a week.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government has declared a "drought-like condition" in 14,708 of the state's 43,000 villages. This means the drought covers 34% of the state.

This is the second successive year of drought in Maharashtra. In fact, the state has experienced three such calamities in the last four years.

The region of Marathwada has been worst-hit, with a drought-like condition declared in every single village. As many as 8,522 villages in the region have been impacted. This accounts for 58% of the drought area in the state.

North Maharashtra, which includes Nashik and Jalgaon districts, follows next with 4,869 villages impacted. This accounts for 33% of the drought area. The region of Konkan has been spared, with not a single village affected by the calamity. The Konkan region experienced a plentiful monsoon this year.

"We have declared a drought-like condition earlier than usual. It is usually declared in December after a final assessment of crop loss," said Khadse, responding to the opposition's criticism that the state was not taking the crisis seriously.

The state can declare a drought-like condition only after an assessment of crop yield. Villages where the harvest is less than half the average yield come under this category.

The government has announced a series of measures for drought-affected farmers, including the waiver of land revenue and school fees for their children and a 33% waiver in the bill amount of agricultural pumps. The government has also said it will provide water tankers in scarcity-prone villages and take steps not to disconnect agricultural pumps.

Comments

 

Other News

How to leverage AI to solve urgent global issues

The world seems to be hurling towards World War III in all the possible scenarios: hot war, cold war, and proxy war. The battleground seems to have expanded beyond physical to digital or virtual/mixed reality with technology like drones. Moreover, the line between civilian and military targets seems to hav

Budget: Progress towards SDGs and areas for improvement

The Union Budget 2025-26 outlines India`s vision for economic and social growth while also reflecting the country`s commitment to sustainable development. As India moves closer to the 2030 deadline for the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this budget presents a balanced approach

Repo rate cut by 25 basis points to 6.25%

The Reserve Bank of India has, for the first time in five years, reduced the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 25 basis points to 6.25% with immediate effect. Consequently, the standing deposit facility (SDF) rate will stand adjusted to 6.00% and the marginal

Amitav Ghosh’s new work: Connections between the word and the world

Wild Fictions: Essays By Amitav Ghosh HarperCollins, 496 pages, Rs 799.00 Amitav Ghosh, one of a handful of Ind

How markets can help (and also hinder) fight against pollution

In the annals of environmental policy, few ideas have been as transformative as the Emissions Trading System (ETS). Born from the minds of economists in the late 1960s, this market-based approach to pollution control has evolved from a theoretical concept to a global tool in the fight against climate chang

Will Bihar complement the resolution of Viksit Bharat 2047?

As India completes its diamond jubilee as a republic, I am reminded of a statement by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, delivered during an address to the Bihar Chamber of Commerce in Patna on March 28, 2006. He said, “I have visited Bihar numerous times, and it has always been a source of happiness for me to

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now



Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter