Prices of basic commodities, including fruits and vegetables, fish and poultry, were exorbitantly increased during the Eid holidays because sellers said consumers had plenty of money to spend. “Most employees have received Eid bonus that ought to be spent, hence we are also increasing our prices,” importers of fruits and fish vendors at the municipal market in Dammam said. A box of South African orange, for exampled, which used to cost SR65 was tagged SR75 during the Eid holidays. A box of oranges from Lebanon that was selling for SR25 before Eid was marketed at SR32 during the break. Even banana fruit sold at between SR3.50 to SR4 during Ramadan was priced at SR5 a kilo during the Eid. Fish vendors also enjoyed the sellers' market situation, hiking prices of fish by about 10 percent. For example, price of shrimps, despite now on season, had not gone down. Similarly, a kilo of the tiger prawn variety was sold at SR35 to SR37 per kilo. Expatriates from Riyadh, who spent their Eid holidays in the Eastern Province, were buying big quantity of fish and shrimps, stocking the marine products in ice-filled Styrofoam containers to keep them fresh on their way back to the capital city. Sayed Al-Salem, manager of the newly refurbished Farm 9 Supermarket in Al-Khobar, said the increase in prices during the Eid days was fueled by the “frenzy buying of people.” The manager said consumers need not worry because prices will return back to normal within a couple of weeks. “There are plenty of remaining stocks, which will drive sellers to considerably lower prices in order to dispose those excess products, particularly the perishable items like fruits and vegetables, poultry and fish,” Salem said.
