Price of Basmati rice to increase by 20 to 30 per cent

Consumers will feel the pinch next month as the price of basmati rice will increase by around 20 to 30 per cent, depending on the quality of the grain. According to the director of P & P International, Pritam Dabydoyal, this increase is due to the fact that Middle Eastern countries have just bought a huge quantity on the world market. 

“There was a fair in Dubai in early March. Rice was sold in large quantities and this dried up stocks,” he explains. The director of P & P International also says that the situation in India is not very good either. According to Pritam Dabydoyal, this increase will definitely have an impact on the price of rice in the country. Mauritius has the option of importing long grain rice from Thailand and Vietnam, but India is the largest producer of this commodity. 

“It is mainly the Pusa, 1121, 1401 and 1509 varieties that will be affected by this increase. Most Mauritians consume rice variety 1121, which comes from India. This rice is known for its finesse. 95% of the Basmati rice that is available on the Mauritian market is produced in India,” states Anand Ajodha, director of Funny Traders.

It should be noted that the State Trading Corporation (STC) imports Basmati rice since 2014. The organization began importing this commodity at the request of the government in order to stabilize prices. It imports 1,500 tonnes of Basmati rice and 20,000 tonnes of long grain white rice each year.