Centre mulling minimum import price for tur dal

TO PREVENT PRICE manipulations by traders, the government is considering a proposal to impose a minimum import price (MIP) for tur dal, a chunk of which is imported from Myanmar and a few African countries, including Malawi and Mozambique.

- SANDIP DAS

An official said as the country sources the pulses variety from a few countries, some importers taking advantage of the situation are pushing prices up, causing a spike in domestic prices. "We are considering a proposal to impose MIP on tur dal imports so that price manipulations by traders can be stopped," an official told FE, adding that an MIP in the range of $900 to $1000/tonne is being discussed.

Sources said despite higher prices, imports from Myanmar and Mozambique have been sluggish. In the first three quarters of the current fiscal, the import of tur dal was 0.14 MT and 0.2 MT from Myanmar and Mozambique, respectively, while the imports were 0.21 MT and 0.46 MT in the same period of FY23.