Abdulmuhsen Al-Sabti Okaz/Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Food prices continue to increase despite the abundance of stock available in shops, claimed consumers. They said prices varied substantially from shop to shop as a result of a lack of monitoring. Locally produced fruit and vegetables are more expensive than imported items, they said, adding that price differences between shops can be as much as SR2.50 a kilogram for any particular item. Shops claimed they were the victims of food wholesalers that change their prices weekly. A large number of consumers said they have learned to effectively compare prices and substitute expensive items for cheaper ones that are of the same quality. The vegetable market has also witnessed large increases in prices. Tomatoes are selling for SR11 to SR14 a kilogram due to the political situations in neighboring countries. Traders in the vegetable market have also blamed cold storage costs for the increase in prices. Many consumers have completely stopped buying green beans, as prices have reached SR90 a box.
