JEDDAH: The National Committee for Bakeries at the Council of Saudi Chambers (CSC) said this Haj season would see no shortage in supplies of bakery items.

The committee said there was need to increase operational labor by about 20 percent.

It confirmed excellent cooperation between silos and bakeries to meet the demand. The number of loaves in Makkah on a daily basis will amount to around 8 million, said the committee, which will hopefully meet the needs of the pilgrims at easily affordable prices.

Faez Hamada, deputy chairman of the committee, said the government was still paying to provide bread for pilgrims at competitive prices which are some of the lowest in the world. “These prices have been fixed for years without any change,” he said.

“It is expected that the number of loaves coming into Makkah daily from Jeddah, Taif and Madinah will be approximately 8 million. The average consumption of bread per capita is 2 loaves a day starting from Dhul Hijjah 5 to Dhul Hijjah 14,” he said. “The price of three loaves of bread weighing 400 grams will be only SR1.”

Hamada said there are two new bakery stations operating in Jamjoum and Jeddah. “These two stations will provide more bread, preventing any shortages,” he said.

He said that the government is fully prepared for the Haj season. The amount of flour in storage is sufficient for six months, and is far in excess of the bakeries’ consumption. “Approximately 10,000 45kg bags of flour are used each day,” he said.

Hamada said the main problem facing the bakeries is the lack of workers during the hot weather. Most workers cannot work more than six hours.

“Each individual bakery employs about 50 workers. The number of operating bakeries in the Western Province is 4,000. In Makkah alone, there are 1,200 and all are in need of more workers. Some bakeries in Makkah and Jeddah have been forced to employ workers for more than 20 hours a day in exchange for doubling their salaries. Some very large bakeries employ 100 workers a day,” he said.