Ravinder Singh, president of Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee, Niranjanpur, Dehradun which started the counters of affordable pulses at Arhat Bazar in conjunction with the Wholesaler Dealer Association on Friday said they are now planning to open two more such counters for the benefit of the consumers. Arhar pulse is available for Rs145 per kg at these counters whereas the retail price is raging from Rs180 to Rs190 per kg. Consumers were seen thronging the counters on the second day too.
“Imported Arhar Dal from Indonesia and other neighboring countries are being sold. This time, the wholesalers have decided to distribute these pluses directly to the consumers for the latter’s benefit. However, the volume of the first day’s sale was much more than that of the second one. Our committee would do more to provide vegetables and pulses at affordable prices in Dehradun,” said Singh.
He added new crops of Arhar Dal from Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh will reach here by the end of October.
On the other side, the consumers are more likely to go to these wholesale grocery stores resulting in dipping sale volumes for the retailers who are dealing with the same commodities.
“Due to the sky- rocketing price of Arhar Dal, the number of buyers is coming down, affecting our trade,” said Jai Prakash, owner of a grocery store in the city .