Sheep prices have gone up by 25 to 40 percent because of an increase in demand in the days before Ramadan and a low supply caused by livestock herders who do not want to sell their animals until the last days of Sha'aban, when employees receive their salaries. The price for imported sheep has increased, but the hike has been lesser than that for local sheep, dealers said. Ali Jaber said Harri sheep, which they used to purchase from herders for SR600 and sell, after calculating transportation costs and adding a small profit, for SR750 to SR850 are now extremely hard to find.If they are available, the prices range between SR850 and SR950, which means consumers will have to pay between SR1,100 and SR1,200. Atiyyah Al-Zahrani added that the rise in barley prices and the approach of Ramadan have led to many herders withholding all sales of their sheep with the hope of selling it at a greater price to cover their high costs. He added that dealers have resorted to purchasing goats and sheep from the coastal area at higher prices. Al-Zahrani said customers are paying a fair price based on the cost involved in providing the animals. The price of a Bishi goat is at least SR900, he added. Ali Al-Sharqawi, a worker in a shed for Al-Na'eemi sheep, said the price of the animals from Hafr Al-Batin Region, which can produce between 18 kilograms and 22 kilograms of meat and are suitable for Ramadan, ranges between SR1,100 and SR1,200. Muhammad Al-Rasheedi said prices for Sudanese Sawakni sheep range between SR700 and SR800, adding that prices have increased in the exporting country. Earlier the best variety of these sheep cost no more than SR550, but prices have increased by as much as 40 percent, he said. __
