Qatar: Rice Prices Rise By Over 200%

With the virtual absence of Indian parboiled rice in Qatar, the prices of several varieties of rice in the local market have gone up by over 200% since the beginning of this year.

A trader said that importers are now trying to bring in rice from Vietnam, but capitalising on the situation, Vietnamese exporters have been consistently raising the prices.

Speaking about basmati, importers said the situation is not any different as far as the prices are concerned with one MT Indian basmati, which was available for $850 in the beginning of this year, now costs about $1850. Pakistani basmati, quite popular in Qatar, too costs almost the same.