Hyderabad: Sambar and rasam are everyday items in every south Indian kitchen. At 450 grams per capita per month, Andhra Pradesh is one of the highest consumers of red gram or arhar dal, and that is selling now at 100 Rs a kg.
The state had started supply of one kg dal at 30 rupees on every card but has now slashed that to half a kg, at 45 rupees a kg because stocks have run out.
There is an anger and anguish in Vimla's voice as she shows the dal she has bought at 45 rupees a kg from the ration shop in Hyderabad.
She says the dal doesn't cook easily nor does it taste good but people like her don't have a choice because she and her daughter together make 60 rupees rolling beedis all day long and they can't afford to buy dal from the open market at 100 rupees a kg.
"Will you people eat this kind of dal? We have no option but to eat this bad quality dal," said Vimla, Beedi rolling worker.
Andhra Pradesh was the first state in the country to start supplying one kg of tur dal at 30 rupees on every card through the PDS from June last year. That was when prices had shot up to over 45 Rs a kg because production fell by 30 per cent.
"Even those supplies have become a problem. Whatever we were getting was from Myanmar. Those supplies have also dried up. From last month, we are not getting. So, we have been constrained to reduce dal from one kg to half kg and considering the steep rise in prices, the issue price was also increased," said Sanjay Jaju, Civil Supplies Commisioner, Andhra Pradesh.
Black marketing and a huge number of bogus ration cards have also added to the pressures on the supply and price of tur dal.
Chief Minister YSR Reddy has said tur dal is his biggest worry and hopes the situation will ease in the next 3-4 months when fresh arrivals are expected from East African countries in September-October and the new crop comes in.