MADINAH: People resort to different heating devices at home, yet firewood remains a part of the lives of many people during winter.
Arab News visited the firewood and coal market in Madinah and met Owieteq Al-Tarjami, a firewood and coal vendors, who said that the consumption of firewood is on the rise in many parts of the Kingdom such as Riyadh, the Eastern Province and Madinah.
The price of firewood, according to Al-Tarjami, is quite reasonable, ranging from SR40-600 ($11-$160) for a truckload, depending on the type of wood.
Mohammed Al-Awfi, another firewood vendor, complained that firewood is scarce due to the prohibition of logging to conserve the environment. He said that many shipments of firewood have been confiscated by representatives of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture.
Al-Awfi said that the best types of firewood are Sumr, Salam and Ghada. Most of the coal, he added, is imported from Indonesia and some African countries.
The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Nov. 19 that the General Administration for Agricultural Affairs in Madinah confiscated about 55 tons of firewood from the central wood market.
Ibrahim Al-Hujili, the director general of the General Administration for Agricultural Affairs in Madinah, said that such field tours and confiscations by officials aim to control illegal logging and follow earlier warnings from the Ministry of Agriculture to firewood vendors.
Firewood, coal market in Madinah thriving during long winter nights
Firewood, coal market in Madinah thriving during long winter nights
