Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz instructed the governorates of provinces and relevant authorities to sanction merchants selling flour at higher rates than stipulated by the Grain Silos and Flour Mills Organization. He also ordered that livestock owners who are feeding their herds with flour be given penalties. The sanctions include suspension and the closure of shops and companies. Economists expected the flour crisis to fade throughout the coming period especially after Prince Naif's directives. Ahmad Al-Shibl, General Director of the Grain Silos and Flour Mills Organization, said the organization produces 2.6 million tons of flour a year, added that 45 million bags of flour are sold. Shibl said distributors; allocations have not been changed, but the organization has the authority to suspend and write off the names of any violators. He said loading fees were reduced from 20 halalas to just five. The Arabic daily Al-Watan quoted an unidentified source at the organization as saying that some violators in areas said to have suffered shortages were sanctioned after a field survey. He said that all bakeries and restaurants were provided with ample quantities of flour through authorized distributors in different cities, villages and towns. The source said the Organization produces 8,550 tons of wheat annually, and a bag is sold at SR20 to SR22. The source also said that the Organization is about to start running new mills in Hail, Madina, Riyadh and Al-Jouf. The government had begun to monitor local markets to catch those who sell fodder at higher prices than those set by the organization. The source added that sellers caught doing so will be penalized by seizing their fodder stocks and reselling them at the original price. The organization will also be notified not to deal with the violators again. Abdul Rahman Al-Qahtani, an economist and agricultural expert, expected livestock prices to go down as a result of the governmental subsidy on barley. He expected livestock prices to turn back to SR500
