Sheep are seen upon arrival at the Jeddah Islamic Port recently. — Okaz photo Syeda Amtul Saudi Gazette Jeddah – Jeddah Islamic Port will receive more than 2 million animals from Australia, Sudan, and East Africa to stabilize prices of meat during Ramadan, and cover the needs of the local market for both the Ramadan and Haj season. 200,000 animals from Sudan and Somalia have already arrived at Jeddah Islamic Port, and a further 75,000 sheep, and 6,000 cows are expected to arrive, by Sept. 15, from Australia. “This will be the first shipment we receive from Australia after nearly two years, when we had stopped importing from them due to the high prices of cattle. However, regardless of the high cost, we are importing from Australia again to meet the market needs, due to the limited number of imports from neighboring countries like Sudan and Somalia," claimed Suleiman Al-Jabri, chairman of cattle imports in Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Al-Jabri warned of the potential exploitation of Ramadan to increase prices, but assured that the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry would help control prices of livestock. He also called on dealers of livestock in different regions of the Kingdom to support customers' interests and not exploit them in Ramadan and Haj for profits. He further praised the efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture, led by Fahd Balghunaim, Minister of Agriculture, and other officials for facilitating the endeavor. Al-Jabri said he hoped the ministry will continue with such efforts, which encourages importers to expand their businesses and provide a strategic reserve which protects customers from the vagaries of international prices.
