Local markets will have sufficient amounts of Ramadan commodities and prices will be reasonable, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a report. There has been a slight increase in some prices, but some have dropped and competition has kept most prices at or very near where they were last year, the report said. In a report to the Saudi Press Agency, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said its headquarters in Riyadh and branches in a number of governorates have monitored prices of several Ramadan commodities in several areas. The report found that a considerable amount of competition among supermarkets has helped keep prices low. The report also compared average prices for several Ramadan commodities during the month of Sha'ban this year to the prices during the same period last year. While there are a large number of brands available for each commodity, the report focused on monitoring prices of popular brands. Addressing household flour, the report said the Grain Silos and Flour Mills Organization has started marketing its products with a new trademark that reflects their high quality and improved the packaging. It pointed out that the prices are reasonable and there is high-quality white flour and brown flour available in different weights. The report said the price of a packet of Quaker oats reached SR7.6, a slight increase over the average price last year of SR7.4. Compared to last year, the wholesale price of a 24-tin carton of Quaker oats decreased by 2 percent. The wholesale price for each carton decreased by 2.4 percent. The average price of a carton (12 66-gram sachets) of Goody noodle soup reached SR44.4, a SR5 increase from last year. The average retail price for the same amount of Al-Alali soup reached SR48, an increase of 1 percent from the same period last year. The average price for a carton of Maggi soup reached SR38.4, an 2.6-percent increase from last year. The Commerce Ministry said it monitored prices of different brands of macaroni and found the average retail price of 500 grams of Butoni macaroni reached SR4.8, a drop of 7 percent compared to the same period last year. The wholesale price of a carton, 24 500-gram boxes, is about SR107 and the cost for distributors was about SR110 per carton, a rate of SR4.58 per packet. The average retail price of Al-Alali macaroni reached SR4 per 450-gram packet, a slight rise compared to the same period last year when the average price was SR3.92. The wholesale selling price per carton has reached SR64. The average retail price for a 500-gram packet of Goody macaroni has reached SR4.2 while the wholesale price of a carton, 20 500-gram packets, has reached about SR62. The carton costs SR65, SR 3.3 per packet, from distributors. The average retail price per 400-gram packet of Al-Wafrah macaroni has reached SR2.8, while the average price during the same period last year was SR2.73. The report, which monitored different brands of muhallabieh, jelly and their ingredients, found that the average price of a box (36 sachets of 49-gram packets) of cream is SR45, a drop of SR9 compared to the average price during the same period last year. The wholesale price for a carton of eight boxes of 36 sachets is about SR288. The average price of a box (12 85-gram sachets) of Al-Alali muhallieh powder has reached SR26.4, a drop of SR3.6 per box compared to last year. The average retail price of a same-sized box of Unifood jelly powder has reached SR20.4, an increase of SR2.04 from the average price last year. The price per carton of 12 boxes is SR108. The price per carton from the wholesale trader to the distributor is about SR105, a price per dozen of SR17.5. The average retail price per 450-gram box of custard powder is SR5.2, an increase of 75 halalas compared to the average price last year. The price per carton is about SR98 and the selling price per carton from the wholesale trader to the distributor is about SR97. The Commerce Ministry report pointed out that the average retail price per dozen packets of national and imported starch reached SR14.4, a drop of SR3.6 compared to the average retail price during the same period last year. The wholesale price is about SR11.5 and the selling price to the distributor is about SR12.5, while the average retail price per dozen is SR18, a drop of SR1.83. The average retail price for a 125-gram packet of instant yeast reached SR4.4, an increase of 65 halalas compared to its average price during the same period last year. The ministry confirmed that a number of brands of pastries are available in local markets. Prices for dumplings, which are widely consumed during Ramadan, were monitored and the average retail price per 500-gram packet was found to have reached SR5, an increase of SR1 compared to the average price during the same period last year. Prices of Vimto and Tang, which are in high demand during the holy month, were also monitored. The average retail price for a 770-mililiter bottle of Vimto has reached SR8.9, a 20-halala increase compared to the average price last year. The price for a carton of 12 bottles is about SR98 and it is sold by wholesale traders at SR99. The average retail price of a packet of Tang is SR13.9, an increase from last year of SR1.4.
