Saudi Gazette Tomatoes have been creating commotion in markets all over the Kingdom as shoppers are stunned by the sudden spike in its prices. In large supermarkets, one kilogram of tomatoes now costs SR10, while in some of the smaller stores you can find them around SR7 per kilogram. This is a huge jump in prices since only a week ago, one could buy tomatoes for around SR3 to SR5 per kilogram. Hala Rateb, a customer at a local store in Jeddah, said, “I was really upset by the rise in tomato prices. I use tomatoes for almost every dish in my kitchen from cooking tomatoes in vegetable stews, to making sauces for pizza and pasta, to chopping fresh, raw tomatoes in salads. I do not understand why the prices have suddenly become so high.” Since the prime season of tomato harvesting in most surrounding countries from where we receive a fair share of our tomato supply has neared its end, it is quite normal for prices to rise. Also record high summer temperatures throughout the Middle East have damaged several tomato plants and reduced harvest. The Kingdom imports tomatoes from Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. The small box of tomatoes imported from Syria which normally cost SR15, now costs SR30, which is double the initial cost. A slight decrease in the supply from Syria due to the unrest there is also a factor in the sudden increase in tomato prices. However, experts have put consumers at ease and have assured them that tomato prices will gradually decline once locally grown tomatoes become available in the market. __
