The Papad could be missing from your plate! Papad, appalam, appadam,papadam – as it is famous all over India is an important meal accompaniment. Even served as an appetizer or snack, however, this time the papad is going to give you a miss. All thanks to the skyrocketing price of the Urad dal (black gram pulse). The prices have shot up from Rs. 6000 per quintal to a whopping Rs. 18000 a quintal since last year only. This has put the papad manufacturers all over the country in a jinx. This sudden increase has hit the food industry badly as many hotel owners have now started replacing papad with chips and other similar items. The manufacturers are now forced to knock at the govt. doors to intervene and bring the prices in control.
The papad industry in India is a 750 Crore industry that gives employment to around 3.5 lakh people of which 70% are women. Hoarding is believed to the major reason for such a spurt in prices of urad dal. Manufacturers Association wants the govt. to intervene just like they did to control onion prices by deciding to import it. The shortage of urad dal has impacted the work in the factories too. It is now very difficult to keep the factory running beyond two days. The papad finds demand in not only our country but there is very big overseas market for the Indian papad. It is now a wait and watch situation for the papad Industry and even for those who love eating papad. Let us see what the fate has in store?