Edible oil, tur dal becoming dearer

International prices, higher import duty being cited for rise in prices of edible oil

The prices of edible oil and tur dal have showed a sharp increase over the past year while those of rice and wheat have recorded a subdued rise, according to a comparative study of prices of select essential commodities as reported in different places of Tamil Nadu, besides Puducherry. According to the data furnished by the Government of India’s Department of Consumer Affairs, the prices of edible oil (only two variants — sunflower oil and palm oil — are chosen for the study) have gone up by about ₹50 a kg. In the given four cities of Tamil Nadu, the prices of sunflower oil, widely used by the middle class, have increased by about ₹60 a kg and in Puducherry, the difference is ₹50 a kg. Similarly, palm oil, used by the poor, has seen a hike of ₹47 a kg in Puducherry. As far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, the product has become dearer by at least ₹50 a kg. As for tur dal, the rise has been in the range of 20% to 25% except in Chennai, where the difference is marginal. As regards urad dal, the hike has not been that perceptible. Barring Puducherry, rice has remained stable in Tamil Nadu. The position of wheat is similar in the State and even in the Union Territory too. In fact, in Coimbatore, the price of wheat has seen a downward trend – a decline of ₹6 a kg.