ANANTAPUR: Massive damage to paddy crop in various stages during the recent untimely heavy rains and floods will have an adverse impact on rice production. Analysts say prices of top quality rice may go up in wholesale and retail markets.
Siriguppa, familiar as ‘rice bowl of Karnataka', in Bellary district --located closer to Adoni of Kurnool district -- and surrounding areas produce rich quality rice due to the soil strengths and water facility. Siriguppa taluk and surrounding Kampli, Raichur and Hospet areas under Tungabhadra low-level canal have been fertile, and camps were widely spread particular with paddy fields.
Tens of hundreds of landlords and farmers from coastal Andhra Pradesh have migrated to Bellary and Vijayanagara districts of Karnataka four decades ago during the initial phase of Tungabhadra dam construction. Many of them owning hundreds of acres in their camps raised only paddy crops. A few of them have set rice mills.
Sonamasoori rice with Siriguppa brand is famous and has had huge demand in Karnataka, AP and TN for many years. Due to its rich quality, millers get orders for supply even before the harvesting stage. PSM Prasad, an officer in IAF in Hyderabad said he has been purchasing this rice for almost two decades even as he worked in Delhi and other parts of the country.
"I used to place order for this new rice at the time of harvesting and store it for a period of one year," he said.
Trader Guptha from Siriguppa told DC that more than 50 per cent of the crop was damaged during the heavy rains during the North-East monsoon. Paddy was badly hit at the main stage. He assessed that prices of the rice will rise because of poor production in the present season and the impact on the prices will remain through the year.
