Rice importers and merchants have urged the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to crack down on crooked traders selling adulterated rice – in bags printed with the names of quality brands – to unsuspecting consumers. The importers and merchants say that this rice – which is largely a mixture of poor quality rice, with only a small amount of quality rice – has affected legitimate businesses. Many rice businesses have even gone bankrupt because of these illegal practices, the merchants were quoted as saying in Al-Madina Arabic daily on Saturday. They claim these criminals have been able to get away with their activities because of lenient government penalties. Citing an example of the tricks of these unscrupulous traders, Abdullah Al-Jafali, a distributor, said some merchants import inferior quality rice at about $400 to $600 per ton. They then mix this with quality brands, repack it in bags carrying the names of quality-branded products, and sell it for between $1,000 and $1,400 a ton. He said this adulterated rice has caused great damage to the merchants and importers who trade in quality brands. Muhammad Al-Shalan, a big importer of rice in the Kingdom, said it was a huge problem and that several distributors have gone bankrupt. Sulaiman Al-Mehadb, a rice importer, said importers have suffered severe moral and material losses because of the criminal behavior of these traders. He called on the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to protect merchants and consumers. He said this has resulted in consumers losing confidence in legitimate importers. After building up a good reputation in the market, many importers now suddenly have their credibility questioned. “The Ministry of Commerce and Industry should be held accountable for the spread of this phenomenon because if it had tight control over the market, it would have succeeded in combating this malpractice a long time ago.” Officials at the ministry said that the ministry's inspectors often raid and arrest traders who are involved in these illegal practices. Dr. Zain Al-Abideen Beri, a member of the Shoura Council, said that under the Kingdom's commercial fraud laws, a trader involved in such illegal activities can face a three-year prison sentence or a SR1 million fine, or both. In addition, those found guilty can also be named-and-shamed in the country's media, especially if the adulteration damages the health of consumers.
