NEW DELHI: The government on Monday said 2,500 tonnes of the imported arhar will arrive in three tranches at Chennai port and similar quantity will reach Mumbai’s Jawahar Lal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) in four tranches from next week. All shipments will reach India by October 20 as part of a move to contain rising prices.
The second meeting of the inter-ministerial committee on prices and availability on Monday reviewed the current status of the arrival of imported pulses and onion, the consumer affairs department said in a statement.
It said 5,000 tonnes of urad being imported from Myanmar will arrive at Chennai and JNPT by October 20. Similarly, 1,000 tonnes of imported onion are expected by October first week and another 1,000 tonnes by the second and third week of next month at JNPT.
“As states have indicated their inability to process the imported un-milled pulses, MMTC was advised to float a tender for milling the imported pulses i.e. tur (arhar) and urad. This would ensure quicker uptake by the states and also its distribution to consumers,” the statement said. Import of additional 5,000 tonnes of tur has also been approved to increase availability. MMTC floated a tender for procurement last week and the bids will be opened on September 21.
