With bumper harvest expected this year, paddy prices have dropped in the open market by Rs 200 to Rs 300 per 62kg bag in the state.

M S Thanaraj

MADURAI: The retail price of fine varieties of rice, which are being sold at Rs 60 to Rs 70 per kg, may come down by at least 10% over the next few weeks as paddy prices have dropped significantly in the open market.

With bumper harvest expected this year, paddy prices have dropped in the open market by Rs 200 to Rs 300 per 62kg bag in Tamil Nadu, say rice traders. According to sources, RNR paddy, which was sold at Rs 1,700 to Rs 2,000 per bag, is presently being sold at Rs 1,300 to Rs 1,400 in Ramanathapuram.

According to Dr A C Mohan, secretary, Federation of Tamil Nadu Rice Mill Owners and Paddy Rice Dealers Association, “On an average, rice production in the country was around 1,300 lakh metric tonnes to 1,350 lakh metric tonnes over the last few years, but this fell by about 3.5% in 2023-24. Due to the Ukraine war, which led to rise in global demand for foodgrains, and increase in customs duty, the prices went up significantly in the market. But this year, a bumper crop yield is expected. This has led to a drop in paddy prices at the farm-gate level and will also be reflected in the price of rice varieties over the next few weeks. Price of rice may drop by a minimum of about Rs 2 to Rs 3 per kg initially.”

Paddy is the chief crop of Tamil Nadu and the total rice output stood at 75 lakh metric tonnes in 2023-24. More than 3 lakh hectares is under paddy cultivation across TN.

New survey needed to assess damage caused by rains: Agriculture official

According to official data, the Nagapattinam district recorded a total rainfall of 34.6cm during the 24 hours ending Sunday morning. Agriculture officials estimate that this has affected the samba crop on around 25,000 hectares in Nagapattinam alone.

P Sivakumar (45), a farmer from Palaiyur in the district, said, “I could not undertake kuruvai cultivation due to the delay in release of Cauvery water. I cultivated only samba paddy which I was about to harvest in a few days. The crop, however, is now inundated in rainwater. I am staring at a huge loss.”

On the rain impact, a senior agriculture official said, “We have to conduct a fresh survey to assess the damage caused by the rains over the past few days. We also have to ensure that it does not conflict with the surveys we conducted in the past.”

In Mayiladuthurai district, agriculture officials estimate that around 30,000 hectares of the total 68,000 hectares on which samba and thaladi cultivation have been taken up have been affected by the rains. The district recorded a total of 42.42cm of rainfall with an average of 7cm in 24 hours till Sunday morning.

Mayiladuthurai, Sembanarkoil and Poraiyar stations alone recorded over 10cm rainfall each. An agriculture official in Mayiladuthurai said, “Harvesting is completed only on about 100 hectares. The crop on the rest was expected to be harvested in the next one month.

Estimation of the rain impact on the cultivation in the areas is under progress.” In Karaikal, officials estimate seasonal paddy raised on about 4,000 hectares of the total 4,500 hectares to have been affected by the rain. Karaikal district recorded 5.6cm in a 24-hour period ending Sunday morning.

Published Date: January 20, 2025