Bhubaneswar: At a time when consumers in Odisha are facing the heat of surge in vegetable price, the state's staple food, rice, has become costlier.

The price of common varieties of parboiled rice has recently surged by around Rs 10 per kilogram. A few months ago, these rice varieties were being sold at Rs 25 per kilogram, but now they are priced at Rs 35 per kilogram.

Sudhakar Panda, General Secretary of Odisha Traders' Association, attributed the price rise to shortage of rice in the open market. However, no official figures are available to ascertain the exact magnitude of the shortfall, he said.

Rice varieties are sourced from approximately 400 rice millers across the state. However, the millers now claim to have inadequate stocks of paddy, leading to the current situation, said Panda, adding that the state government has allowed the millers to determine the price of rice.