Saudis consumed about 200 tons of chocolate worth about SR100 million during the just-concluded holy month and the Eid holidays, local Arabic daily Al-Madinah reported Thursday quoting market experts. They said the Kingdom tops Arab markets in the consumption of chocolate and sweets during this festive month and added that the market grows by about 15 percent every year. Sami Mufti, a Saudi investor in the chocolate industry, said chocolate prices increased by about 20 percent this year as a result of the rise in the prices of raw material in the international markets. He said among people in the three main regions, people in the Central Region topped in the consumption of chocolate, followed by the Western and Eastern regions in that order. According to Mufti, there are 20 chocolate factories in the Kingdom that are producing various kinds of sweets. Zhair Nuri, an expert, said the national industry was able to compete with international products — both in quality and prices.
