Prices of cereals, pulses continue to remain high

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 6

Despite repeated warnings by the government, the prices of some cereals and pulses continue to remain high.

Ever since the announcement of the nationwide lockdown, the prices of some varieties had registered a 20 per cent increase.

Vimal Seth, a retailer, said: “Owing to panic-buying in the initial days, the prices of certain grocery items witnessed a sharp increase.”

Rahul Mahajan, a consumer, said uncertainty over the implementation of the curfew and its longevity prompted the common man to stock enough grocery items to last long. However, essential commodities were easily available. Anil Kapoor, president of the Amritsar Distributors’ Association (ADA), said they had enough stocks of cereals, pulses and lentils. He, however, agreed that the prices were higher than that applicable before the imposition of the curfew. Moreover, the sale of foodgrain had came down as people preferred to eat vegetables for their low prices in the state. He said the state’s clearing and forwarding godowns, also knows as mother godowns, were now fast running out of stocks for FMCG products. These godowns were situated at Zirakpur, Ludhiana, Phagwara, Jalandhar and Amritsar. He said FMCG products such as snacks, soaps, toothpastes, ketchups, buscuits and other ready to eat items were as essential as cereals and vegetable. He said the government should not choose one way of clamping the curfew and rather look for measures to resume operations at manufacturing plants of these products and ensure their delivery in markets.