PRICE DIVISION

The Price Division of the department collects and consolidates various price data at the Taluk and District levels. Following scrutiny, compilation, and approval, this data is forwarded to the Central and State Governments, as well as other agencies for the purposes of Policy decisions, Planning, Research work and monitoring daily price fluctuations.

Various kind of prices collected by the department

Farm  Price

The Department has been collecting and reporting the Farm price of major agricultural commodities produced in the State since 1954 onwards. Farm prices include Farm Wholesale Price & Farm Retail Price.

Farm Wholesale Prices

The farm wholesale  prices of 81 items are collected directly from farmers from 77 taluks of the state on a bi-weekly basis. A report is prepared monthly including the district average and state average regarding the farm gate prices of agricultural crops.

Farm Retail Prices

Farm Retail Price is the price which the farmer gets when the farm products are sold in smaller quantities at his farm site (farm gate) or nearest rural retail market. On the last working day of every month, prices for 63 main items—as well as varieties of certain items—are collected from 77 taluks. As per GO (Ms)83/75 LBR dated 01/10/1975 farm retail price is being published in the Kerala Gazette. Report on District Average and State Average of Farm Retail Price is generated on a Monthly basis.

Daily Retail Price of 50+28 Essential and Necessary Commodities

The Price Division collects daily retail prices for 50 essential commodities from district headquarters according to specified schedules. Additionally, prices for 28 supplementary items are also collected. These prices undergo scrutiny and comparison at the district office before being forwarded to the Directorate through Web Portal by 2.00 PM on all working days. The Price Division consolidates this data and submits it to various offices including the Office of the Chief Minister of Kerala, the Office of the Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, the Office of the Minister for Agriculture, the Office of the Chief Secretary, the Office of the Secretary of Food and Civil Supplies, the Office of the Planning Secretary, Civil Supplies Commissionerate, Supplyco, Reserve Bank of India, Doordarshan and State Agriculture Prices Board. District and state consolidated reports are generated daily, along with variation reports of the state average.

 Weekly Retail Price of 20+9 items

Weekly retail prices for 20 items not included in the daily collection of 50 essential commodities, along with prices for 9 additional items, are collected every Friday from all district headquarters. District and state consolidated reports are generated weekly. The consolidated report will be sent to KSEB, PWD and other relevant user departments as per request.

Weekly Wholesale and Retail Price of Fruits

Weekly wholesale and retail prices for selected fruits, including oranges, apples, guavas, pineapples, bananas, plantains, mangoes, watermelons, and grapes, are collected every Friday. A consolidated report is then provided to Horticorp on a weekly basis.

Daily Wholesale and Retail Price of Essential Commodities furnished to the Price Monitoring Cell

Daily wholesale and retail prices of 23 essential commodities, daily retail prices of 18 additional items are collected from all district centers and directly sent to the portal of the Central Price Monitoring Division, Government of India, through the Mobile App. Prices are collected from three different shops for retail and one shop for wholesale prices. 

Retail Price of ICDS Commodities

The first-quality prices of 21 food items are collected fortnightly from 14 district centers for the ICDS and a consolidated report is forwarded to Supplyco.

Price of Forest Products

The market rate of 19 notified species of forest products are being collected as per the kerala forest produce fixation of selling price act 1978.Monthly prices of items are collected  from the important timber markets of Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam and Kozhikode on the last working day of every month. Reports are prepared quarterly and forwarded to the Chief Conservator of Forest, Vazhuthakkad, Thiruvananthapuram. Price prevailing in the neighbouring states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andra Pradesh for these items are also collected annually These prices are used to fix the selling price of 19 species of timber.

Price of Ayurveda raw materials

The prices of more than 400 items of Ayurveda raw material are also being collected by this Department once in an year from Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam and when the request is made by the Ayurveda Colleges of concerned Districts. This price is used for the tendering purpose of ayurveda raw materials required by the  Ayurveda Colleges. 

Dietary Price

As per GO(RT)147/70/plg. dated 19th June 1970 Government declared the department as a permanent agency for the collection and compilation of prices of dietary articles. The market rate of dietary articles is collected on a quarterly basis which is required by hospitals, jails and other institutions for the tendering purpose of dietary and non – dietary articles. The main schedule for price collection for the year 2025 includes 217 items. Additional 26 items are collected from every taluk centers of Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur districts for forwarding the data to Museum and Zoo. Details of 140 items are collected in an additional schedule in the first quarter (December) of every year.First quality items are collected for the dietary schedule. 

Price of Waste paper

As per the meeting held on 13/01/1996 before the Principal Secretary, Higher Education decision has been taken to collect monthly price of 7 varieties of  waste papers and & 7 different metal scraps  from all district centres. The prices are consolidated, published and quarterly report is forwarded to the Controller of stationery, Thiruvananthapuram.

Price of Coir and Husk

Other important prices being collected by the department are the prices of coir and husk. The price of selected Coir items are collected from Coir manufacturing centres from the Districts. Report is generated on the price of rotted and raw materials of Husk. Prices are collected weekly from taluk centres and quarterly reports are being furnished to The Director, Coir Development Board; The Director, Directorate of Printing and also to The Deputy Director, Coir Board, Kochi.

Price of Coconut shell

The wholesale and retail price of coconut shells is collected monthly from centers in various taluks of districts except Alappuzha, Idukki and Wayanad. Monthly report is generated at the Directorate and forwarded to Coconut Development Board, Kochi . Approved report is provided to educational institutions, jails and hospitals as and when it is requested. 

Price of spices

Retail Prices of the seven spices Nutmeg, Mace, Cinnamon, Cloves, Pepper, Cocoa, Vanilla are collected every week from Kottayam, Idukki, Wayanad and Thrissur Districts. The consolidated quarterly report is forwarded to Spices Board, Kochi and  Directorate of Arecanut & Spices Development, Ministry of Agriculture and farmers welfare, G;overnment of India.

Wholesale Price of Cocoa

Wholesale price of cocoa is collected from selected centres i.e, Thiruvalla, Meenachil, Moovattupuzha, Kothamangalam, Kalady, Kattapanna, Mananathavady and Idukki. The consolidated quarterly report is forwarded to Directorate of Cashew & Cocoa Development Board, Department of Agricultural and Co-operation, Kochi, Ministry of Agriculture, GOI.

Price of coir pith

From the year 2026, monthly price information of various varieties of coir pith from districts other than Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Ernakulam is being collected, a report is being prepared and sent to the Director of Coir Development.

Weekly Price of Salt

 Wholesale and retail price of salt are being collected weekly from Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kozhikode. The consolidated quarterly report is forwarded to Salt Commissioner Jaipur / Deputy Salt Commissioner Chennai.

Monthly wholesale Price of Salt

Monthly wholesale prices  of salt are collected from 14 districts. Consolidated price data is provided to the Director of Civil Supplies.

Various kind of indices calculated by the department

Wholesale Price Index (WPI)

Wholesale Price Index for agricultural commodities measure average change in Wholesale Price level at the Wholesale market over a period of time in comparison with a particular period of time which is the base period. The Index report is published on a monthly basis.

Parity Index

Parity Index is the ratio of the index of prices received by the farmers and the index of prices paid by the farmers, expressed in percentage, It indicates the state of affairs of the farmers receiving value for their products and money expended for cultivation of the crops and for their livelihood. Index report is generated and published on monthly basis.

 Wage Index

Index numbers of wage rate depicts relative changes in the wage rates paid to workers over a period of time and place relative to a particular time and place. It represents relative changes in the wages paid to skilled/unskilled workers. Index report is generated and published on monthly basis. Data is collected from 28 centers to calculate the wage index.

Consumer Price Index (AL&IW)

Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labourers and Industrial Workers under the minimum wage Act 1948 measures changes in the price of goods and services that households consume. These changes have a direct effect on the consumer’s income and their welfare. Since the rate of change of different goods vary, a price index can reflect their average movement. A price index is typically assigned a value of unity, or 100, in some reference period and the values of index for other periods of time are intended to indicate the average, proportionate or percentage change in prices from their reference period. Price indices are also helpful to measure differences in price levels between different cities, or regions at the same point of time.

Traditionally, one of the main reasons for compiling a Consumer Price Index is to manage the effect of price variation in the wages of workers over a period of time. Apart from this Consumer Price Indices are also widely used to measure general inflation, standard of living, social security benefits etc.

To sum up, Consumer Price Index ,indicates the changes over time in the level of retail prices of the fixed set of goods and services pertaining to a defined group, if the consumption pattern of the group were to continue as such. This index is generated and published on monthly basis.

Consumer Price Index (R/U/C)

 In order to make the District level planning more efficient and to conduct studies in this aspect, the formulation of an index at the District level is very essential. Taking this into account, several activities have been incorporated in the SSSP envisaged by the Central Government. Among the 20 points envisaged in this project one of the main activity points is the computing Consumer Price Index (R/U/C). Kerala state has been preparing the above mentioned index since January 2020. Prices of the  items consumed have to be collected on a monthly basis from the selected retail shops of 149 centres (78 Urban, 71 Rural). The base year for CPI (R/U/C)is 2018. District wise and State wise CPI’s are generated and published in three categories ie, Rural, Urban and Combined.

 

FAMILY BUDGET SURVEY 2025-26

        The Family Budget Survey is a Sample survey conducted by the Department of Economics and Statistics with financial assistance from the Labor Department, for the purpose of updating the base year of the Consumer Price Index used to fix the variable DA of minimum wages of agricultural and industrial workers in Kerala who fall under the purview of the Minimum Wages Act.

       The Family Budget Survey is being carried out at 17 centers in the state. Data will be collected from 720 worker families in major centers and 360 worker families in minor centers. Enumerators appointed through the Employment Exchange for a period of one year are given special training and assigned for the survey. Comprehensive data collection is undertaken, including details of family members, family income, housing condition, amenities, and the quantity and value of all goods and services consumed daily by the family. The data thus collected are examined and approved by officers (supervisors) of the Department of Economics and Statistics. Data entry is carried out through a specially developed web-based application of the department, and the information is compiled and reports are prepared in a manner suitable for the determination of the Consumer Price Index.