Even as broader retail inflation figures hover around the five per cent mark and stretch past Reserve Bank thresholds, soaring food costs have been reined in by a wave of bumper agricultural output. Food and Consumer Affairs Minister of State B.L. Verma informed Parliament that record-breaking foodgrain harvests and adequate government reserves have successfully kept staple cereal and pulse prices largely stable over the past year, shielding households from runaway price spikes.
Breakdown of Grains, Pulses, and Vegetables
Detailing the price trends in the Rajya Sabha, the minister noted that potato prices have remained notably steady among vegetables, while tomato and onion markets have experienced only standard seasonal fluctuations. The Consumer Affairs Department actively tracks daily retail prices across 41 essential food items through a nationwide network of 579 price monitoring centres. Government data underscores that foodgrain production for 2025-26 reached a historic 3,765.63 lakh tonnes, which, combined with substantial public buffer stocks, has anchored the retail prices of foundational food items.
Specific Retail Prices for Staple Goods
Looking at individual commodities up to July 28, retail rice prices climbed 5.18 per cent year-on-year to reach 44.89 rupees per kilogram, while wheat flour ticked up 1.03 per cent to 37.14 rupees per kilogram. Among pulses, urad dal registered a 5.46 per cent increase to 121.12 rupees per kilogram, arhar dal rose 2.97 per cent to 123.09 rupees per kilogram, masur dal advanced 2.21 per cent to 90.36 rupees per kilogram, and moong dal saw a nominal 0.92 per cent bump to 111.71 rupees per kilogram.
Edible Oils Face the Steepest Hikes
Edible oils recorded the sharpest inflationary pressures due to domestic import dependencies. Packed sunflower oil witnessed the highest surge at 18.03 per cent, reaching 189.42 rupees per kilogram, while packed palm oil climbed 14.09 per cent to 148.5 rupees per kilogram. Soybean oil advanced 11.69 per cent to 164.19 rupees per kilogram, groundnut oil increased 9.16 per cent to 205.73 rupees per kilogram, and mustard oil went up 7.26 per cent to 196.44 rupees per kilogram.
Vegetables, Dairy, and Official Outlook
In the broader basket, onion prices jumped 25.43 per cent to 35.07 rupees per kilogram, though potato and tomato prices both registered declines of over 11 per cent. During the same timeframe, milk prices moved up 3.12 per cent to 60.89 rupees per litre, and eggs became 12.50 per cent more expensive at 86.84 rupees per dozen. The government reiterated its commitment to closely monitoring evolving market conditions and assured that appropriate intervention measures will be deployed if necessary to curb undue price volatility and guarantee adequate supplies of essential goods.
