Price of rice is not going down

THRIUVANANTHAPURAM: Even though the price of rice is down in whole sale market, it has not been reflected in the retail market. One major reason is that the high price stock is not over. There are complains that some shopkeepers are charging higher price for rice.

The price of high-quality Matta Vadi rice’s wholesale price stood at Rs.54 yesterday. Last week it was Rs.59. There are some shops which sell the same rice at Rs.68. The price of Jaya rice has come down to Rs.53 from Rs.59. In some retail shop the price is from Rs.58 to Rs. 62.

Karnataka Jaya, Punjabi Jaya etc. cost Rs.39-40. Sureka costs between Rs.36 and Rs.40, but it is sold for Rs.40-45.

The rice by the name Matta is actually the refined rice brought from Shimoga. The original Matta rice is produced at Alappuzha and Palakkad. This do not meet the 15% of the total demand.