Major rice mill owners have been blamed for the rising prices of rice.
They buy paddy at low prices to keep stocks and decide the prices before releasing the rice to the market, said president of the united rice producers association Muditha Perera.
He said there will be no shortage of rice despite some paddy crops getting destroyed due to the recent drought.
The Maha season alone produced three million metric tons, whereas the annual requirement is four million mt., he noted.
During the Yala season, 500,000 hectares have been cultivated, he said.
Although the drought affected around 5,000 hectares only, a certain group is trying to create an artificial shortage in order to import rice again, Perera charged.
