HOFUF, 12 August 2006 — The Ministry of Agriculture’s decision to extend the deadline for shutting down urban live-poultry shops by a year has angered many poultry vendors who had already scaled down their operations.
In interviews with Al-Watan Arabic daily, the vendors described the decision as surprising and hasty. They said that the decision came a little too late because poultry businessmen had closed down their shops and deported the workers. They said that they were doing what the ministry instructed them to do, which is to close down their business inside the cities.
A poultry vendor, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he would have not have closed down his businesses at a loss had he known he would have had an extra year.
“The ministry should have announced this decision at least six months before and not few days before the enforcing of the decision. What is the use now? Most of us have closed down our shops,” he said.
“We lost our investment in this line of business and I am wondering who would benefit from this decision now that small-time businessmen have closed down their shops. I sold mine for a song because I could not afford keeping it open,” said one vendor.
Muhammad Saleem, an Asian worker in a live poultry shop, said that many of his friends that worked in this line of business in Hofuf have gone back to their countries because of the approaching deadline.
“Many shops in the province have suffered in the past two years because of the threat of bird flu,” said Saleem. “Many businessmen at that time closed down their shops.”
