Livestock prices in the Eastern Province have escalated from SR1,400 to SR2,000 a head over the past two weeks, with some accusing feed traders of price manipulation.

This comes as the livestock traders committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) this week assured consumers that prices were unlikely to rise as demand increases in the run-up to the Haj.

The committee had said there was enough supply for the Eid Al-Adha season because over a million sacrificial sheep, goats and cows are expected at the Jeddah Islamic Port for the Haj. Stock had started to arrive at the beginning of August.

The committee expects prices to range between SR500 and SR900 for some breeds.

However, traders in the Eastern Province say that prices are rising because of higher feed prices especially for alfalfa.

Mutlaq Al-Jaloud, a cattle trader, said that the price of alfalfa had gradually increased from SR14 to SR19 per package. “The prices will rise further if the authorities do not intervene to stop the manipulation of feed traders.”

He accused some traders and truck owners for the escalating prices.

Some citizens and residents had expected the price increases in the run-up to the Haj, and had bought sheep earlier this year, which they kept on farms in the region.

Suleiman Al-Jabri, chairman of the JCCI committee, said earlier this week that 70 percent of local market needs are imported from abroad due to insufficient domestic supply. He said that more than 2.5 million head of sheep are imported from neighboring countries such as Sudan and Somalia annually.

These huge amounts of livestock are sufficient for the local market.

Al-Jabri said that price increases were rumors. The prices of local livestock would not rise because there would be demand for imported stock, while there was likely to be only a 10 percent increase for imported animals.