In April-May 2023, the Consumer Affairs Department warned exporters of pulses from Myanmar against hoarding essential commodities.
India tells Myanmar not to Hoard Tur
- There has been an inflated price trend of tur and urad in the country.
- These are being sold at a price way above what the MSP decided.
- The government held a meeting with the importers of pulses from Myanmar.
- It warned them against a deliberate drop in imports from Myanmar.
- The private traders in Myanmar were also warned against hoarding.
- The government said it may take the government-to-government (G2G) route for importing these items if supplies are not eased.
- Large suppliers are taking advantage of the scarcity in India leading to a firm price trend in recent months.
- As per the bilateral agreement, we are committed to import 0.25 MT urad and 0.1 MT of tur annually from Myanmar between 2021-22 and 2025-26.
- We import about 15% of annual pulses consumption.
- The estimated pulses production in the 2022-23 crop year recorded 27.81 MT.
- In March 2023, the department constituted a committee to monitor the stock of tur held by entities in close coordination with the state governments.
Minimum Support Price: Minimum Support Price (MSP) is the minimum price set by the government for certain agricultural products, at which the products would directly be bought from the farmers if the open market prices are less than the cost incurred. Know more about MSP in the link.
The Essential Commodities Act:
- The Essential Commodities Act (ECA) was a parliamentary act which governed the delivery and supply of commodities or products, whose obstruction could affect the lives of the common people to a great extent.
- The Essential Commodities Act came into force in 1955 and has been used to manage the supply, distribution and production of commodities termed as ‘essentials’.
- In this way, the government makes these commodities available for consumption at acceptable prices. A minimum support price can also be fixed by the government should it deem it necessary.
Read more on the Essential Commodities Act in the link.
The list of commodities included under the ECA is as follows:
- Fertilizers
- Pulses
- Edible Oil
- Cereals
- Oilseeds
- Petroleum and allied products
- Seeds of fruits and vegetables
India tells Myanmar not to Hoard Tur [UPSC Current Affairs]:- Download PDF Here
| Related Links | |||
| India – Myanmar Relations | Look East Policy | ||
| Kaladan Multimodal Project | India – Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway | ||
| Sitwe Port | Food Security of India | ||
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