Consumers of rice can expect prices to drop considerably over the next month. Pune rice traders say the fresh crop from the North will flood the city market by mid November, which will bring prices down by at least 20 per cent.

“We expect a good paddy crop. In June and July, it looked like the crop would be poor because of erratic rainfall, but the situation has improved since. September saw good rainfall,” said Rajesh Shah, rice trader.

The broken Basmati and Kolum are among the popular varieties of rice in Pune. Over the last two months, Basmati has become Rs 100 per kg, broken Basmati (Basmati tukda) is Rs 60 now, while the Kolum rice from Gujarat costs Rs 40 now.

“More than 75 per cent of the rice we sell is Basmati broken. By November end, we expect the prices to come down by Rs 20 to Rs 25. Even the price of Kolum will drop by Rs 10 per kg,” Shah said.

Another popular variation of the Basmati, the Mogra, priced between Rs 35- Rs 45 per kg, is a little less expensive. It will also see increased supply after mid November; traders say this will reduce prices significantly.

Since September, supply of varieties from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh has been hit after the fields were inundated following the rains. Non-Basmati varieties of rice like Dash, Masuri and Sona Masuri have become more expensive. The prices of these varieties had touched up to Rs 20 per Kg, after the floods. “Andhra Pradesh reaps a paddy crop every three months, so the supply of the southern varieties should increase in three months,” said Rajesh Phulpagar, another rice trader.

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