It was a poor monsoon but is that the only reason why the price of food stock is going out of control?
It’s the staple rice, which has been climbing up the price ladder and eating into the wallets of many a household.
Sumita Sharma and her husband prefer Aizong rice like most of the households. But with the sudden rise in price of rice, it's getting difficult for people with fixed income to stay within the budget.
"See, last year it was between Rs 16-17 a kilo. This year it's between Rs 26-28, so there has been an enormous price hike. It's really difficult. If we are finding it difficult, imagine the plight of poor people," said Sumita.
Sumita requires 10 kg of rice in a month, which means she spends Rs 100 more from her monthly budget on the staple food alone.
For a larger family, it's much more.
It was a delayed monsoon but last year the government claimed a bumper harvest. So, what happened to the stock? How can price of the staple food jump up so suddenly?
Amiyo Sarmah, an economist said, “The late rain has affected therefore the rice will be delayed but with so much of government surplus this shouldn't have happened. I would think that main problem is the lack of governance and lack of accountability. They are not transparent, they are not letting us know what is the exact price, what should be the price.”
Meanwhile, with prices of commodities steadily rising, people had dropped pulses and some green vegetables from their daily menu but it’s impossible to do without rice.
So, what does the average consumer do?
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