RIYADH: The Riyadh municipality fixed a maximum price of SR1,300 per sheep beginning on Tuesday on animals bought for Eid Al-Adha slaughtering from Friday, the day of Eid, until Sunday.
Eleven companies have been registered with the urban authority for the sale and slaughter of these animals in the municipality.
A municipal official said the price ceiling was introduced to prevent vendors from exploiting the need for sheep during the feast.
Despite the price control, a tour of the sheep market in Riyadh revealed that prices of sheep were as high as SR5,000. Najdi sheep were marked as high as SR1,900. Imported sheep from Sudan were marked at SR600 to SR900 per head. Sheep from Somalia, Syria and Australia were also being sold at the souq.
Abdullah Al-Homayd, a government servant, said the price control is a healthy move to protect the consumers. He recalled that five years ago a sheep sold for SR400 and the price for the same type of sheep has increased to SR1,300. He attributed the escalating prices due to demand created by less supply from exporting countries.
“Less rainfall during the year also reduced the local productivity,” he said.
The local authority has allocated 13 sales outlets for sheep in the capital. Each station is supported with a slaughterhouse where buyers can have their animals slaughtered and taken home for delivery among relatives and friends.
Besides temporary slaughterhouses, there are five permanent abattoirs with a capacity of 3,000 heads per day. The municipality has also licensed 300 restaurants and kitchens to slaughter animals during this period to cater to the seasonal demand.
