After petrol-diesel and edible oil, now flour is also expensive, the maximum price reaches Rs 59

Along with petrol and diesel, food items are also becoming expensive in the country. While the prices of edible oil are touching the sky, now the prices of wheat flour have also increased. The price of flour has increased by about 13 per cent as compared to last year. Now the maximum price of flour has reached Rs 59 per kg in the retail market. The average price of wheat flour in retail markets stood at Rs 32.91 per kg on Monday, which is about 13 per cent higher than the same period last year. This is stated in the official figures.

The all-India average retail price of wheat flour as on May 8, 2021 was Rs 29.14 per kg. Data from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs showed that on Monday, the maximum price of flour was Rs 59 per kg, the minimum price was Rs 22 per kg and the standard price was Rs 28 per kg. On May 8, 2021, the maximum price was Rs 52 per kg, the minimum price was Rs 21 per kg and the standard price was Rs 24 per kg. On Monday, the price of flour was Rs 49 a kg in Mumbai, Rs 34 a kg in Chennai, Rs 29 a kg in Kolkata and Rs 27 a kg in Delhi.

Ministry 22 Essential Commodities – Rice, Wheat, Atta, Chana Dal, Arhar (Arhar) Dal, Urad Dal, Moong Dal, Masoor Dal, Sugar, Jaggery, Groundnut Oil, Mustard Oil, Vegetable, Sunflower Oil, Soya Oil, Palm Oil Monitors the prices of tea, milk, potato, onion, tomato and salt. The data on the prices of these items is collected from 167 market centers spread across the country.

Meanwhile, the government has slashed the wheat production forecast for the 2021-22 crop year ending June by 5.7 per cent to 105 million tonnes, from 111.32 million tonnes earlier, with early summers affecting crop productivity. . In the crop year 2020-21 (July-June), wheat production in India stood at 10.95 million tonnes.

Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey said last week that the Centre’s wheat procurement is likely to fall by less than half to 19.5 million tonnes in the current rabi marketing year amid higher exports and a possible fall in production.

Earlier, the government had set a wheat procurement target of 44.44 million tonnes for the marketing year 2022-23, as against 43.34 million tonnes in the previous marketing year. Rabi marketing season runs from April to March but bulk procurement ends by June.

However, the secretary had said that there would be no concern to meet the domestic demand under the public distribution system. He had also ruled out the possibility of banning the export of wheat as farmers were getting more than the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their produce. In the financial year 2021-22, the export of wheat was a record 70 lakh tonnes.