RIYADH, 24 December 2006 — Wintertime in Riyadh is a time when people gather around sources of heat — not just in their homes, but also for those drawn to desert camping during this time of year when the weather is oppressively cold.
Despite technologically modern options for home heating, many Saudis are attracted to the good old-fashioned wood fire, and demand for firewood peaks in the winter months. People living in the country are more likely to keep the home fires burning at night, but even city residents are prone to using a fireplace. Firewood is called “winter’s fruit” here because of its seasonal nature.
As the law of supply and demand dictates, prices and quality of firewood depends on the level of demand. The wood sellers of Al-Azizia wood market, located in the southern portion of the city, are always a bit more flushed with cash this time of the year.
“Youngsters are buying large quantities of wood right now for their desert camping outside Riyadh,” said wood vendor Muhammad Al-Onaizi. “I have many Saudi customers buying wood in bulk to store away for the whole winter season. There’s a huge demand for wood in villages around Riyadh and nearby provinces. As you can see, the business is more than good.”
A truckload of quality firewood varies from SR800 for a small pickup load to SR10,000 for the biggest haul. The price of small bundles varies between SR100 and SR150. Another Azizia wood vendor, Muhammad Al-Qahtani, who has worked in this market for 15 years, says that a majority of the vendors are Sudanese.
“Most Saudis own stores but they rent them to these foreign workers, who are probably illegal overstayers,” he said. “Municipality workers see them but they neither report them to authorities nor do they attempt to stop them.”
Al-Qahtani says the most common type of firewood is called Samor and is harvested in the south of the city at Wadi Al-Dawaser, Wadi Al-Aflaj and Wadi Al-Hawta. “Many tend to love this wood because it’s easy to burn and it lasts for a long time,” he said.
Saud Al-Mutairi, who was shopping for firewood recently, said that it is a buyer beware market, not unlike fruit market where bad apples are placed below nicer ones.
“Some sellers take advantage of people by putting the best parts of wood on top and leave the bad ones inside,” he said. “Most customers find out when it is too late.”
Hasan Ahmad, a buyer, says he uses the wood for more practical purposes than camping: Heating his modest home outside of the city. “I have to buy wood no matter how high the prices are,” he said. “We need it in our home and for our trips. I hope the authorities could do something to control these seasonal price peaks.”
