In response to persistent concerns over high food inflation, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) issued an order on December 22, extending the exemption on masur dal import duties for an additional year. This exemption, initially effective since October 2021, will now be in force until March 31, 2025, as opposed to the previous deadline of March 31, 2024.
India witnessed a surge in food inflation to 8.7 percent in November, up from 6.61 percent in October, with pulses experiencing a notable inflation rate of 20 percent during the same period, according to data from the Statistics Ministry.
The move comes amid various administrative measures taken by the government to stabilize prices of essential commodities like sugar, rice, pulses, vegetables, and edible oils. The government has also extended its free grain distribution program, PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, until 2028, providing 5 kg of grains monthly to impoverished households.
While masur dal has shown no inflation, the government’s decision aims to address overall pulse prices, as stated by a senior government official. “We are focusing on bringing down prices of all pulses, especially tur. If the availability of other pulses increases, inflation in tur will go down too,” the official explained.
The government has taken multiple steps to address the surge in tur prices, including exempting yellow peas (tur) from import duties until the end of the financial year and releasing tur from national buffer stocks to control price rises.
In efforts to provide affordable options for consumption, the government launched chana dal under the ‘Bharat Dal’ packaging, priced at Rs 60 per kg nationwide.
