Saudi Arabia: Expats restrict buying three cartons of fruit and vegetables
A senior official at the Ministry of Labor said that the ministry would aggressively enforce the regulation that restricts foreigners from bulk sale and purchase of goods from the market.
However, foreigners will be allowed to buy fruit and vegetables for their own household requirements, said Ahmad Al-Silmi, head of the inspection committee at the ministry’s branch in Makkah region, local Arabic press reported.
Sohaim Al-Ghamdi, a leading Saudi businessman at the market, said that banning bulk purchase by non-Saudis is a wrong decision as most of the sales representatives and distributors are foreigners.
Al-Qurashi, another wholesale trader, said that the decision to restrict sale of three cartons of fruit and vegetables to a foreigner would be disastrous for Saudi traders as most of their clients are foreigners. “This would result in fall in sale and hike in prices of goods. Saudi farmers, who take bank loans and owe other financial liabilities, would be the worst victims of any drop in our businesses,” he said.
Muatasim Abu Zinadah, chief broker at the market, said that the move to strictly enforce Saudization has affected businesses at the market. “As a result of a fall in supply of many fruit and vegetables due to a ban on foreigners, there is an increase in demand and steep hike in prices of many goods,” he said.
Muhammad Al-Johani, member of the food supplies committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that the new crisis is the reason for steep hike in prices of some vegetables.
According to Al-Johani, most of the customers at the market are foreigners who work as sales representatives and drivers of Saudi traders coming from many towns and villages outside the city.
Source: saudigazette.com.sa
