If you ask traders, they’ll tell you the causes of price increases vary. It’s the uprisings in several countries in the region. It’s the rise in petroleum prices. It’s the cost of shipping, thanks to pirates in the Gulf of Aden. One favorite excuse: It’s due to the fluctuation of currency prices.

But Ahmad Kabli, a member of the Foods and Beverages Committee of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has a more simple explanation: human greed. “It is mystifying that a medicine is sold in the Kingdom at double the price of the same medicine in Europe, or even in Lebanon. It is not logical that the prices jump to double overnight,” he said. “In fact, the reason is clear. Firstly, the method of market monitoring is not effective because of an insufficient number of inspectors and lack of equipment. Another major problem is the costs incurred at the port, including punitive fines for slow operations; these costs end up being passed to consumers.”

But if slow operation at the port is a cause, then the solution has already been created. Customs authorities recently announced that it has doubled the cargo-scanning capacity at Jeddah Islamic Port.

An official of the Consumer Protection Association, Nasser Al-Towaim, told Arab News that steps are being taken to check the rising prices.  “The society is currently working on a plan with nine strategies to guarantee consumer rights.” 

Jeddah Municipal Councilman Bassam Akhdar said the municipality recently beefed up its monitoring of butchers and meat suppliers.

“While a 10 kilo high-quality goat is sold at SR700 (SR70 per kilo) the butcher in the market sells the same type of meat at SR35 per kilo. This means either the butcher or the goat trader is cheating on customers,” he said.