Rice prices touch boiling point across Kochi

The shortage of ‘Jaya’ and ‘Surekha’ -- two popular rice varieties from Andhra -- has triggered a 40 per cent spike in the prices of rice. 
Image for representational purpose only.
Image for representational purpose only.

KOCHI: The shortage of ‘Jaya’ and ‘Surekha’ -- two popular rice varieties from Andhra -- has triggered a 40 per cent spike in their prices in the last four months, pinching the pocket of the common man.
The bad news: The shortage will continue till April, the next harvest season in Andhra.

It is estimated that the two rice varieties are consumed by around 70 percent of the state’s population where rice is the staple diet. “They aren’t able to supply the rice varieties even at a higher price,” said Hari Sharma of Lalitha Mills, a leading rice dealer. He attributed the shortage during the season to the sale of rice by Andhra rice merchants to the Food Corporation of India (FCI).

The state consumes about 38-40 lakh tonnes of rice per annum and ‘Jaya’ and ‘Surekha’ varieties account for at least 22 lakh tonnes of the total consumption.

“The reason for the shortage in Andhra Pradesh could be the drought conditions prevailing in the region, or an artificial scarcity created to jack up the prices,” reckoned S Leena Kumari, project co-coordinator (Rice), Rice Research Station, Moncompu, Kerala Agriculture University.

The prices of the two varieties, which lingered around Rs 26-27/kg range during Onam last year (September), has spiralled, touching Rs 38/kg.

While ‘Jaya’ variety is preferred in the southern parts of the state from Alappuzha to Thiruvananthapuram, ‘Surekha’ is the most sought after variety in Ernakulam and surrounding areas. Hari Sharma said there was sufficient supply of other grades of rice such as ‘Kuruva’, ‘Swarna’ and ‘Cherumani’ which are priced lower at Rs 23-24/kg.

“We can supply as much of Swarna rice as we want, but there’s not much demand for the variety,” he said. Swarna is sourced from West Bengal. People in north Kerala have cultivated the taste for ‘Kuruva’ and ‘Kranti’ rice varieties, he said.

C S Saresh of SA Enterprises, a rice dealer, said a major reason for the increase in prices is the increase in transportation costs. “The lorry charges have escalated from Rs 68,000 to Rs 1.09 lakh in the last two months as the return trip carrying plywood from Kerala has come to a halt,” said another dealer.

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