New Delhi, Aug 2 (PTI) The mystery behind the abnormally high prices of lentils (dal), which are selling in the retail market at up to Rs 100 a kg, may actually be lying in sea ports across the country - literally!
Lakhs of tonnes of pulses as also sugar worth Rs 1,600 crore are lying unclaimed at major ports and it is not clear if they are any longer fit for human consumption.
If only they had been released in the market on time, they could have helped keep the lid on prices.
As much as 6.19 lakh tonnes of imported pulses and raw sugar are lying at the ports, as the PSUs concerned have not lifted the quantitiesassigned to them or for want of quality clearing inspectors, governmentsources said.
Asked if pulses and sugar stocks are rotting at major ports, Agriculture Ministry Sharad Pawar said, "I don't know.