New Delhi, Aug 8 (KNN) The government is committed to ensuring price stability and is closely monitoring the situation and taking measures on an ongoing basis to bring down inflation, Minister of State for Finance Nirmala Sitharaman informed Parliament today. 

Some of the important steps taken during the last three years to bring down inflation include reducing import duties to zero for wheat, onion and pulses and imposing stock limits on various commodities, she said. 

She also said that the government has suspended futures trading in rice, urad and tur as a matter of abundant precaution. 

As per the latest WPI data, inflation in 31 essential commodities moderated to 6.05 per cent in June as against 9.27 per cent in the same month last year. The retail inflation data also showed that food prices moderated to a 28 month low of 7.9 per cent in June. 

India is the world's second-biggest producer of fruit and vegetables after China. But almost 18 per cent of the crop goes waste every year due to inadequate cold storage and refrigerated transport facilities. (KNN/SD)