New Delhi: The Indian importers of pulses on Friday met finance minister Arun Jaitley, demanding that they be exempted from a stock holdings limit imposed by the government to curb soaring lentil prices. In return, they offered to supply one lakh kg of tur dal per day at Rs 135 a kilogram.
Usually the importers of pulses are exempted from the stock holding limits. However, sources said, the government imposed the stockholding limit after many of the importers were found to be holding on the pulses, without rel-easing them into the market, in an apparent attempt to push up prices.
In recent raids, a huge amount of pulses were seized from pulses importers, said sources. The government wants the importers to release stocks immediately and sources indicated that Centre may not exempt them from stock holding limit.
Mr Jaitley met the importers to discuss problems faced by them in getting pulses from the global market. “Pulses prices will come down only if there is smooth availability of imported pulses. So the imports and importers should be exempted from the stock holding limit,” said Indian Pulses and Grains Association chairman Praveen Dongre.
He said that the importers have already contracted 25 lakh tonnes of pulses for delivery till January and about 2.5 lakh tonnes are lying at ports. “Any kind of restriction will dry the pipeline,” he said.
Mr Dongre said that the association has offered to supply 1,00,000 kg (100 tonnes) of imported tur dal at '135 per kg on a daily basis to government agencies. He further said that the supply of 1,00,000 kg of pulses would continue during the festival season till November-end.
