The government-procured chana dal retailed under the ‘Bharat’ brand has emerged as the biggest selling brand among householders with 1/4th market share in less than four months of its launch due to the price advantage, Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said on Wednesday.
Launched in October 2023, the Bharat-branded ‘chana dal’ has an edge because it is priced lower at Rs 60 per kg compared to other brands at around Rs 80 per kg, he said.
About 2.28 lakh tonne of Bharat brand chana dal has been sold since October 2023. The monthly average sale was around 45,000 tonne, he said.
Initially available at 100 retail points, the Bharat brand chana dal is now sold at 13,000 mobile and fixed retail outlets across 139 cities in 21 states. Singh highlighted that this initiative has aided in curbing inflation in pulses, as prices of pulses are interconnected. By utilizing buffer stocks to lower chana prices, it indirectly impacts the prices of other pulses.
Besides chana dal, the government is selling Food Corporation of India (FCI) wheat flour (atta) under the Bharat brand. It is also mulling sale of FCI rice under the same brand in order to check prices.
Though the country’s domestic production of pulses has increased in the last few years, it is still short of consumption and depends on imports to meet the gap. The country is self-reliant in chana and moong alone, and other types of pulses are imported to meet the shortage.