The price of cucumbers has increased threefold following a staunch increase in the price of tomatoes.
A shortage in cucumber supplies and a subsequent increase in price is experienced every summer, but this year, the price has shot up by more than 300 percent.
These primary ingredients were formerly enjoyed across all social classes. Cucumbers are being sold at SR 10 a kilo in Jeddah across supermarkets, a seven-riyal increase compared with pre-Ramadan prices. In Riyadh, the vegetable is now priced at SR 8 per kg, whereas prior to Ramadan, it was sold at SR 3.5 per kg. In Dammam, cucumbers cost SR 9 per kg, while in grocery stores, they were priced at SR 10 per kg on Saturday. Prior to the advent of Ramadan, cucumbers in Dammam cost scarcely more than SR 3 a kilo.
Cucumber was once sold for as cheap as SR 1.5 a kilo.
While Taif farms continue to try meeting demand in Jeddah, Al-Kharj farms fulfill the needs of Riyadh and farms in Al-Ahsa give supplies to Dammam.
In addition, farms from the Tabuk region are presently supplying cucumbers to Jeddah and Riyadh, while supplies to Dammam continue to come in steadily from Al-Ahsa for the time being.
Prices will remain high until the end of Ramadan, said a wholesale trader in Jeddah.
The effects of the surge in food prices has become visible in restaurant portions.
Bushra Bajwa, a Pakistani housewife in Jeddah, said “we used to buy cucumbers without a second thought, but now with skyrocketing prices, one has to think twice about buying even the most basic of commodities.”
Greenhouse farms in agricultural towns across the Kingdom are cultivating cucumbers by using pesticides to spur growth, but this is not always fruitful during the summer season due to high temperatures.
Cucumbers are 95-percent water, keeping the body hydrated while helping the body eliminate toxins. Cucumbers contain potassium, magnesium, fiber and vitamins, which is helpful to the health.
Cucumber prices increase threefold
