Faisal, the Emir of Makkah, held a meeting here Monday with chairmen of the board of directors of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Jeddah, Makkah and Taif and members of the region's committee of bakeries to end the flour crisis by increasing the quantity and punishing manipulators. A report was submitted to the Emir listing various aspects of the crisis and suggesting solutions before it escalates in the Umrah and Haj seasons. Saleh Bin Ali Al-Turki, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Jeddah's Chamber of Commerce, sought an increase in the flour quantity allotted for Makkah region from 230,000 bags weekly to 400,000 bags to meet the growing demand. He also stressed the importance of overcoming current shortage in the grain silos by securing three million bags of flour before the beginning of the current Umrah season until the end of the Haj season of 2008. Al-Turki said the officials at the Chamber of Commerce in Jeddah, Makkah and Taif and heads of Bakeries Committee suggested the establishment of a joint stock company. Five new committees are being formed to supervise the distribution of flour and to conduct field tours to catch violators, he said. JCCI held a meeting last week with a number of traders and owners of major factories and bakeries in Jeddah to know their problems. They wanted more support from other regions to overcome the current crisis. The number of flour mills in Jeddah reached 26 with consumption estimated at 33,805 flour bags a week. __
