Five new committees are being formed to supervise the distribution of flour and conduct field tours to arrest any violators, Faiz Hamada, head of Bakeries Commission in Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), said recently. The flour crisis has virtually ended, he said. There is an ample quantity of reserved flour now to cater to the needs during Ramadan and Haj seasons, he added. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah Region, at a meeting last week reviewed arrangements for procurement of flour. The meeting with traders and owners of major factories and bakeries in Jeddah was organized by the JCCI and its counterparts in Makkah and Taif. The meeting discussed the problems faced by bakery and factory owners in the region and demanded more support from other regions to overcome the current crisis. Members demanded an end to the flour crisis by increasing its quantity and punishing trade manipulators. Saleh Bin Ali Al-Turki, Chairman of the Board of Directors of JCCI, sought an increase in the flour quantity allotted to Makkah from 230,000 bags a week to 400,000 bags to meet the growing demand. He stressed the importance of overcoming the current shortage in grain silos by securing three million bags of flour before the onset of Ramadan and Haj seasons. Al-Turki said officials at JCCI and those in Makkah and Taif and heads of Bakeries Committee suggested the establishment of a joint stock company. Faiz Hamada, head of Bakeries Commission, said the committee has submitted a report to Prince Khaled on the conditions of bakeries and the obstacles they face. He added that all traders and owners of bakeries are currently receiving reasonable prices and that manipulative traders are being kept under check. “Plans have been made for establishment of new mills in this region to ease the pressure of domestic factories under burden of bulk packaging,” he said. The number of flour mills in Jeddah has now reached 26 with consumption estimated at 33,805 flour bags a week. __
