At a time when tur dal prices have gone through the roof, state-run Karnataka State Tur Dal Development Board has decided to launch its own brand in the market. Officials said this initiative could go a long way in stabilising tur dal prices in the state to some extent.
In Bangalore, tur dal, which is currently ruling at around Rs 70 per kilogram, touched a high of almost Rs 83 per kg three months back, as per data from the department of consumer affairs.
The board will buy tur dal at competitive prices from farmers this year and sell it under its own brand name at reasonable rates to consumers, an official said. The board has already started buying tur dal from the farmers in Bidar district of the state.
The Karnataka State Tur Dal Development Board board has set a target of procuring around 10,000 quintal in the current year at an estimated total cost of Rs 9 crore. The board would sell it in packets of 1, 2, 5 and 10-kg through outlets of the Horticulture Producers Cooperative Marketing Society (Hopcoms), government stalls and government cooperative federations.
The branded tur dal will be released in the market in the next 4-6 months.
At a later stage, the board also plans to meet the requirement of government?s mid-day meal scheme.
Tur dal output in Karnataka is expected to decline this year owing to late arrival of monsoon in Bidar and Gulburga districts. Generally farmers start sowing tur in June after the south-west monsoon arrives in Karnataka. But this season, farmers started sowing only around August because of late onset of monsoon. Though, area under tur surpassed the state government?s target, output dropped because of drought and floods.
Till September 2009, tur dal was sown in around 6.03 lakh hectares against a target of 5.80 lakh hectares. But, crop in around 3.09 lakh hectares was damaged because of drought while that in 2.88 lakh hectares washed away in floods during October, according to figures of the state agriculture department.