Kurnool Sona Rice Prices Surge; Civil Supplies Caps Retail Rate at ₹52/kg

Kurnool:Retail prices of Kurnool Sona Masuri rice have risen sharply across Andhra Pradesh, prompting the civil supplies department to cap the retail price of A-grade rice at `52 per kg and warn traders against overcharging.

Kurnool Sona Masuri, a premium rice variety cultivated in Kurnool, Nandyal and parts of Anantapur district, including Kanekal and Rayadurg, has recorded a steep increase in prices in recent weeks.

According to civil supplies officials, the price rise cannot be attributed solely to reduced cultivation in parts of Kurnool, Nandyal and Anantapur districts.

"There is no justification for such a steep hike based on production alone. Hoarding by some wholesale traders, anticipating an El Nino impact, appears to be a major factor," a senior official said.

Officials said the price of old Sona Masuri stock harvested in November 2025 has increased by Rs 10 to Rs 12 per kg. A-grade rice, which was selling for around Rs 50 per kg about six weeks ago, is now retailing at nearly Rs 63 per kg.

Kanekal BPT rice has also become costlier by Rs 12 to Rs 13 per kg.

The department has directed traders to sell A-grade rice at no more than `52 per kg and B-grade rice at `50 per kg, warning that action would be taken against violators.

The increase in rice prices has also affected the dairy sector, with the price of rice bran, a key cattle feed, rising from `25 to `40 per kg.

"Taudu is now being sold almost at the same rate as rice. This is shocking and is increasing our investment burden significantly," said Venkatanarayana, a dairy farmer from Brahmanapalli village in Kadapa district.

Traders attributed the shortage partly to large-scale exports of paddy from Kurnool, Nandyal and Kanekal to neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over the past three months.

The increase in rice husk prices has also impacted small-scale industries. Rice husk, used in the manufacture of cardboard boxes, ceiling sheets and bricks, has doubled in price from `3,000 per tonne to `6,000 per tonne.

Nearly 300 rice mills operate across Rayalaseema. Millers said they were facing an acute shortage of paddy stocks.

"None of the millers has any significant stock at present. Procuring a single load of 28 tonnes is costing around `11 lakh," said rice miller T. Adinarayana Reddy.

He maintained that millers were not responsible for the price rise. “We do not have the ability to increase prices on our own. The price rise is primarily driven by traders. We have no control over it," he said.

"Both groundnut shell and rice husk prices have gone up sharply, making it difficult for us to sustain operations," said B. Maheshwarappa, a small-scale industrialist from Halaharvi in Kurnool district.

Consumers are worried over further price increases if production declines in the coming season.