New Delhi: The government on Tuesday announced the removal of the 40 percent procurement ceiling on three pulses--tur, urad, and masur-- under the price support scheme (PSS) for the crop year 2023-24 (July-June).

The objective is to boost domestic production, and according to the Food and Consumer Affairs Ministry, farmers are now unrestricted in selling their entire production of tur, urad, and masur under the PSS for this year.

"The assured procurement of these pulses by the government at remunerative prices will help motivate the farmers to enhance sowing area in respect of tur, urad and masur in the upcoming Kharif and Rabi sowing seasons in order to enhance the production," the ministry said in a statement.

The implementation of the price support scheme (PSS) is contingent upon the prices of agricultural produce falling below the minimum support price (MSP).

Further, the Ministry has instructed state governments to rigorously enforce stock limits on tur and urad pulses and closely monitor their prices. In order to prevent hoarding and price escalation, stock limits have been imposed on tur and urad pulses as of June 2.

These stock limits apply to wholesalers, retailers, large chain retailers, millers, and importers.

Furthermore, it is now compulsory for these entities to report their stock levels on the Department of Consumer Affairs' portal.

The ministry has instructed state governments to diligently enforce the prescribed limits within their respective states.

In order to ensure compliance, the states have been tasked with monitoring prices and verifying stock positions through various warehouse operators.

In addition, the Ministry has asked the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) and State Warehousing Corporations (SWCs) to furnish information regarding the stock of tur and urad stored in their warehouses.

This initiative aims to gather comprehensive data on the inventory of these pulses.

The retail prices of tur and urad have experienced some upward pressure due to a marginal decline in domestic production during the 2022-23 crop year.