JEDDAH, 6 October 2005 — Saudis and expatriates throng shops selling ful, tameez, samboosa and sweets during Ramadan. The huge crowds at the shops just before sunset block roads and cause traffic jams. This is an everyday occurrence all over the Kingdom. “Ful is a favorite dish in Ramadan and I stand in long queues every day to buy it,” said Mohsen Ali.
The Kingdom’s ful market is estimated at SR500 million, according to major market players. Ful shops, they say, make a profit of 30 to 35 percent. About 150,000 tons of ful are imported from various countries, mainly Australia and China, every year.
Some investors in ful shops have failed because of competition from bigger and more famous outlets. “People think the ful business is an easy way to make money but it’s not. In fact it’s a difficult way to make money,” one shop owner said.
Saleh Baniema, owner of one of the oldest foul shops in Jeddah, spoke about the competition in the market. “We supply about four to five urns of foul every day,” he said, adding that four or five urns means a total of 150 kilograms of foul.
