Industry sources attribute the price fluctuation to the fact that no price had been fixed for baby milk.

“This has opened the door wide for importers, pharmacies and shops to charge the prices of their choice,” said one pharmacist, who did not want his name published.

A number of pharmacists asked for fixing the prices of baby milk the same way the Ministry of Health is doing for medicines.

Many citizens noted that the prices of powder milk for adults and children have witnessed sudden and high rises lately.

Citizens Khaled Al-Zahrani, Hassan Al-Ghamdi and Adel Al-Zahrani said the price of a certain brand of powder milk rose to SR74 from SR62.

They said they were surprised by the big difference in the prices of the same product from one store to another.

They also noted that the price of a big container of another brand of powder milk was SR103.

They said the steep rise in the prices of baby milk had become a reality that they had to deal with.

The citizens expressed anger over the unjustified hike in the prices of baby and powder milk and called on the Ministry of Commerce to intensify its control over the markets.

Jeddah pharmacist Ibrahim Rumaih admitted the prices of powder milk had risen to unprecedented levels but denied pharmacies were to blame.

“It is the agents who decide the prices, not us. We only gain profits from the discounts they offer us on their products,” he said.

Rumaih said the difference in prices vary from shop to shop because big stores buy in bulk quantities and this helps them to offer big discounts.

He called on the authorities to fix the prices of baby food and powder milk to prevent any surprise hikes.

“The Saudi Food and Drug Authority is responsible for baby milk. It did not fix a price for it. This has created a disparity in prices in stores,” Rumaih said.