Doha: Rise in rice price adds to consumer woes

The assault on consumers' wallets through rising prices continues with an increase in the cost of all varieties of rice averaging 22.5 per cent. The price rise is applicable to rice imported from both India and Pakistan, a distributor told The Peninsula yesterday.

Rice is a staple of Arab diets as also the majority of expatriates working here, particularly those hailing from the Indian subcontinent. Especially hard-hit as is always the case with rising prices, will be the lowly-paid workers who subsist chiefly on rice and the local khubbuz (Arabic bread).

The distributor said, however, that a part of the rise could be attributed to economic and political factors in India but inflation in Qatar was also playing is role. Giving the name of a brand of rice sold here, he said where prices were ruling at around QR8.75 per kg not too long ago, it had since increased to QR10 per kg at the end of last month.

He said that the 45 per cent increase in India had been halved and passed on to consumers in this country. The distributor foresaw another price increase soon. "I just received an e-mail from suppliers in Pakistan saying that there will be an increase in the next shipment I receive from them."

He added that he had just distributed 20 containers of Pakistani rice at a 20 per cent higher price than earlier rates. "The e-mail said the next lot of containers will also have an increase in prices."

Transportation costs locally, however, have not had much of an effect in the increase in the price of rice. About one-and-a-half years ago authorities asked us to pay QR600 per container brought into the country. "However, this has had only a very slight effect on the price," he said.

Peninsula Online