Egg prices have gone up 20 percent, with a carton now costing SR150, up from SR120 last week. Ahmad Al-Zahir, a food merchant, told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that poultry farms increased the price by SR30 because there is a greater demands for eggs in winter. The price of fodder has increased, which has also affected the price, he added. Ali Ahmad, a food merchant, said that there has also been a hike in tea prices over the last few weeks. The price of Lipton carton jumped from SR510 to SR540; and Al-Rabea tea increased by SR34. “One of the companies reduced the size of a packet by 300 grams and cut the price by SR4.” Most other food products have remained at the same price, he pointed out. Al-Zahir said that sugar prices on the local market have fallen by about 20 percent, with the price for a 10 kilogram pack dropping from SR42 to SR34 last week. Al-Zahir said that food companies asked wholesalers to reduce sugar prices last week. Al-Zahir said the companies did not provide any reasons for the reduction in prices. He said this was normal. Most companies usually send out letters to say they are raising or reducing prices, without providing any reasons. According to reports earlier this week, sugar companies in Saudi Arabia reduced their prices to match the fall in prices worldwide. This comes after the issue was raised by the Consumer Protection Association (CPA), the Kingdom's consumer watchdog. __
