A number of fruit and vegetable importers and traders in Saudi Arabia have been preparing for Ramadan. The majority have aimed to increase the quantities imported in anticipation of the expected increase in demand. These have stressed the importance of consumers not being wasteful by buying more than they need, as this could have a negative impact on the prices of the most demanded items, such as tomatoes.
Mohammed Saifullah Sharbatly, an entrepreneur and member of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce, expects an increase of between 10 and 15% in the fruit and vegetable volumes imported by the Kingdom from overseas suppliers. He stated that fruits and vegetables arrive to the Saudi markets from various countries, especially Egypt, Italy, France, and Chile.
Engineer Mutasim Abdullah Abu Zinada estimated that the usual daily demand for tomatoes stands at around 150 tonnes, while in the month of Ramadan it increases to about 200 tonnes per day.
Source: arar-news.com
