Batin Province should get a daily quota of 3,000 tons of barley because it has 47 percent of the country's animals in the region, according to Muhammad Al-Asmari, Director of the Ministry of Agriculture's office in Hafr Al-Batin. He said there is currently an unequal distribution of barley in the Kingdom. Al-Asmari said the shortages have meant many more brokers are now involved in the industry, which has raised prices by SR15 per bag. The price of a bag of barley at nearby markets is now SR55 and remained high in remote areas. Al-Asmari said he was not sure of reports of ships arriving at King Abdul Aziz Port in Dammam with barley consignments. He said the next ship is supposed to arrive on Saturday, but it takes 10 days for the completion of custom procedures and unloading, which is far too long for livestock owners. Hamidi Al-Atmi, the ministry representative at the Central Sheep Market in Hafr Al-Batin, was also not sure about the current situation. Six trucks arriving daily with barley are not meeting local demands, he added. A local distributor said normally 50 to 55 trucks arrive daily. Distributors will have to cut down their shares to five bags a week compared to the 10 to 15 bags last week. __
