Saudi Arabian vegetable traders and wholesalers have blamed consumers for the price rises during the first days of Ramadan, as they say there has been a wave of overconsumption. Prices have now returned to normal, but they had doubled in some places following a flurry of purchases at the beginning of the festival.
The increase in vegetable prices was limited to 6 or 7 local agricultural products, while imported product prices are fixed, they said. There is no shortage of vegetables in the nation’s markets, they added.
A Saudi vegetable trader said that citizens should maintain the usual consumption of vegetables during Ramadan to ensure the stability of prices. He said that most of the customers deliberately buy more than they actually need at the beginning of Ramadan, which causes increased demand and higher prices.
“The farmers and suppliers are the ones who set the price and cause it to rise when the demand from consumers increases, while our role does not exceed the disposal of the product with a small profit,” he said.
However, arabnews.com reported that consumers in turn accused traders, farmers and suppliers of unjustified price increases with the advent of Ramadan.
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