URAD DAL RATES FLUCTUATION:

Urad dal or black legume has experienced a lot of fluctuation in its price in various Indian cities. Between 1st Feb 2021 to 22nd Mar 2021 rates of pulses have hiked up. Especially, urad dal has crossed the Rs. 100 mark in many states across the country. As of 22nd Mar(from 1st Feb) in New Delhi, the prices rose by Rs.20, from 105/kg to 125/kg INR. In Ludhiana, the prices jumped from 90/kg to 123/kg INR.

Whereas, in cities like Lukhnow, the prices dropped down from INR 160/kg to 140/kg. Also, Bengaluru also witnessed a downfall in prices by  Rs. 17. The price went down to INR 122/kg from 139/kg.

In the northern zone, Dharamshala, Solan, and Una have also experienced a hike in prices by Rs. 4, Rs. 7, and Rs. 2 rupees per kg respectively. In Kanpur and Chandigarh, prices snooped down by Rs. 5 per kg. In the North-East zone too, the scenario is similar. Both, in Shillong as well as in Tura(both in Meghalaya) an increase by Rs. 10 and Rs. 11  per kg is visible. In the Southern Zone, in Port Blair, Vishakhapatnam, and Dharwad, prices have dropped by Rs. 9, Rs. 8, and Rs. 13 per kg.

INDIA AS AN IMPORTER OF URAD DAL:

India and Myanmar are the two largest producers of the urad dal in the world. Also, India is the largest consumer of the pulse in the world. India occupies almost a quarter of the producer as well as the consumer market. States like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra are some of the leading producers. Together, being the largest producer and consumer, India is also the largest importer of urad dal!

After India, Myanmar is the largest producer in the supply chain of urad dal. For India, Myanmar is the biggest asset in the supply chain.

POSSIBLE CAUSES FOR THE PRICE HIKE:

The most recent reason for the price hike is said to be the Myanmar coup. The sudden rise in the prices is seen only after the coup took place in Myanmar in the month of February. India is the largest importer of urad dal from Myanmar. After the power shift in Myanmar, the supply chain of the dal imports is severely affected and is believed to get extended till the situations are normal again.

The second possible reason is the uneven rainfall in the month of August 2020. The erratic rainfall affected the harvest badly due to which the product was less this year. These factors might have contributed to the sudden increase in the prices of Urad dal.