The Centre has asked states to offload pulses seized from hoarders in the markets at the earliest to boost supply and control prices. The states have seized about 1.32 lakh tonnes of pulses in raids conducted on hoarders. So far, only 5,300 tonnes have been offloaded in the markets. Reviewing the prices and availability of essential commodities, Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha directed the Agriculture and Food Ministries to step up the procurement of pulses. Food Ministry said in a statement that Chief Secretaries of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka participated in the meeting through video conferencing. Senior officials of Ministries of Agriculture, Food, Commerce and Industry and central agencies dealing with these commodities also attended the meeting. The focus of the meeting was on completion of the process of disposal of seized pulses back in the market by the states. Prices of pulses had crossed 200 rupees per kilogram, but now the rates have softened slightly on measures like sale of imported pulses at cheaper rates, de-hoarding operations and decision to create buffer stocks. Pulse prices have risen sharply due to drop in production by about 2 million tonnes in the 2014-15 crop year.