“Prices have tripled due to a surge in demand and weak supply,” said Mohammed Salman, a vendor at Jeddah’s livestock market. “This year, many vendors are surprised by the large number of pilgrims that have come to the Kingdom; there is about a million more than usual,” he added.
“This increase was not predicted and therefore not planned by the concerned authorities in charge of importing livestock into the Kingdom. Because of this shortage, prices have gone up substantially,” he said.
Popular types of sheep such as Naimi are currently selling for SR1,000 to SR1,200 a head while Najdi are priced at SR1,700 to SR2,000 with Sawakni being sold for a minimum of SR950.
To control prices and discourage price manipulation ahead of the holiday season, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry launched a price index two weeks ago posting stable prices of livestock imported from 27 countries to the Kingdom. However, the efforts have had little impact on rising prices.
“Instead of the ministry merely launching a price index to control prices, I think further steps should be implemented to enforce the control,” said Salem Hassan, a Saudi consumer upset about seasonal prices.
“Inspectors should be sent out by the Ministry of Commerce to monitor vendors and make sure that prices are kept stable,” he said, adding that because there is no monitoring or penalties for raising prices, seasonal problems like these keep occurring throughout the year due to price manipulation, drying of the market and other artificial means.
Other citizens have said that an office should be set up at livestock and vegetable markets to monitor prices 24 hours a day. “I think that when the city municipality and the Ministry of Commerce say they want to help control prices they should officially post the prices in markets with the authority’s official government stamp as well as have officers working within markets to monitor and enforce price controls that protect consumers,” said Hani Mohammed Abdullah, another Saudi consumer.
The volume of sheep sales alone, according to data from the Ministry of Commerce, is expected to reach SR1 billion this year.
As an alternative to high prices, many people are opting to purchase sacrificial coupons or vouchers such as those offered by the Islamic Development Bank. “We are not able to afford the extra expense to our Haj budget to include the high prices of having a sheep or goat slaughtered ourselves so I have purchased coupons to satisfy the ritual,” a member of a visiting Pakistani group told Arab News.
Currently, adahi vouchers are available for sale for SR410 online through the Islamic Development Bank as well as at Al-Amoudi Exchange, Al-Rahji Bank and other outlets.
In addition, charities such as WAMY and others are selling vouchers and helping to distribute sacrificial meat to the poor throughout Saudi Arabia and abroad.