Mumbai: The tur dal purchased from farmers by the State government under Minimum Support Price (MSP) will be supplied through the Public Distribution Scheme (PDS) to people, after processing it at Rs 55 per kg. Processed pulses from tur dal will be supplied to the State government's various hostels.

The government procurement of tur dal has exceeded last year's figure. The government purchased more than 26 lakh quintal of tur dal this year. From the stock, the government will produce processed dal of about 17 to 18 lakh quintal. 

The requirement of government hostels, every year, is about 7.5 lakh quintal. It will be supplied to ashramshalas, adivasi hostels, all government hostels, mid-day meal to the anganwadis, and others. The remaining 10 lakh quintal will be supplied to all PDS shops in the State. 
"The dal will be made available to all card holders at the rate of Rs 55 per kg. It will be supplied to the jails for the inmates' meals too," said Subhash Deshmukh, Minister for Cooperation and Marketing. 

Meanwhile, the government already called a tender for the process converting tur into a pulse (dal). 

"The government purchased the tur directly from farmers at the rate of 
Rs 5,500 per quintal. This year, the rate will be around Rs 5,400 per quintal," said an officer from the marketing department. 

"This year, the production of tur will be less than last year, as the yield is 20 per cent less compared to last year's," the officer said.