The prices of livestock in Madinah have skyrocketed with the start of the school summer vacation, during which a large number of weddings take place and the demand for animals subsequently goes up.
Apart from attributing the price hike to the summer vacation and weddings, during which a large number of animals will be slaughtered, some citizens said the current high prices of fodder accounted for the hike.
The price of a Sudanese sheep (Sawakni), known for its large quantity of meat, is sold between SR 1,200 and SR 1,500, while the Harri (Saudi-bred sheep) ranges between SR 700 and SR 900. The Barbari, coming from Austalia, is sold at between SR 550 and SR 600.
Speaking to Arab News, a number of citizens complained about the chaos in the animal market caused by foreigners who were buying and selling sheep as well as about the lack of areas specified for the process of buying and selling.
"Due to lack of specified areas for buying and selling of sheep, many people use their private cars for the purpose," Khaled Al-Turgumi, a Saudi citizen, said.
He recalled that the Madinah municipality had promised them several times that certain areas will be designated for citizens to buy and sell animals, but did not keep its promises. "Because of this, we have started turning our cars into shops where we can buy and sell sheep," he added.
Hussain Al-Johani, another Saudi, said all their problems were caused by foreigners who were buying and selling sheep in the animal market without any supervision by the authorities concerned. "The foreigners are openly selling animals in their cars. Nobody is there to stop them," he added.
Lafi Al-Jabri, a Saudi livestock dealer, said the demand for sheep usually went up during summer vacation, when a lot of marriages take place. He accused traders of taking advantage of the rises in demand to up prices. He did not accept the logic of the traders that the hikes in animal prices was caused by the increase in the prices of fodder.
Abdul Hadi Aymen, a sheep merchant, complained about the chaos in the animal market and said the municipality was unable to do anything against the foreigners who openly practiced the trade. "The foreigners buy and sell animals along the streets while we pay rents, buy fodders and bear the cost of laborers," he added.
Naffa Al-Lihaibi, another animal trader, said the demand for animals would continue to rise until the last days of Ramadan. He also attributed the rise in the animal prices to the increase in the prices of fodder and the high cost of living.
According to market sources, the prices of red meat have also gone up. They said a kilogram of mutton, which was not more than SR 30, had risen to SR 80. Through Arab News, the sources appealed to the authorities to step in and bring down the prices of both livestock and meat.
