The steep rise in the price of Basmati rice, a major part of staple food here, has hit Kuwaiti families.Rice importers attribute the spiralling price to increased demand for the foodgrain in India from where most of the rice is imported. "With the increase in demand for rice around the world, companies have increased prices. As a result, a tonne of rice that cost $700 earlier is now priced at $1,000. There has been an increase of 40% in price over the last one year," Mohammad Al-Hamid, a rice importer, told a Kuwaiti news agency.The price rise was less severe in Kuwait as compared to the neighbouring Gulf states, he added.Being one of the most contentious issues, a special parliamentary session was held last week to take stock of the situation. It recommended raising subsidy of foodgrains and setting up of a committee to supervise the performance of co-operative societies.To make things worse, there are reports indicating that Iran has imported a large quantity of rice after its own produce this year was affected by unfavourable weather conditions.India is a favoured destination for the import of rice among Gulf nations.
