Kurnool, October 10: With paddy crop having suffered a major damage in the flood in Andhra Pradesh, prices of rice has shot up by a minimum of Rs 400 per quintal over the last two days as unscrupulous traders have got back to hoarding.
The price of rice in retail market has jumped from Rs 36 a kg to Rs 40 a kg for the preferred varieties.
Rice stocks are not freely available even at enhanced price as a section of millers and wholesale traders have joined hands to create an artificial scarcity in the wake of reports that paddy production is likely to fall by 30 lakh tonnes this Kharif season.
Kurnool is famous for its Sona Masuri, one of the most-preferred rice varieties in the state.
–PTI