Traders at Manama Central Market return mutton delivery after row over wholesale price

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Mutton merchants at Manama Central Market yesterday returned fresh mutton deliveries to wholesale traders in an act of protest following a row over wholesale prices.

They alleged that the wholesale traders have been in efforts to exploit them during the Holy Month by increasing prices.

The merchants also claimed that fresh mutton shipments, mainly from Kenya, Tanzania and Romania, were illegally stocked by the wholesale traders to create artificial shortage of supply with an aim to increase prices.

Speaking to The Daily Tribune, Bahraini mutton merchant Hussein Al Khasab requested the immediate intervention from the part of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism to halt this act of acute injustice from the part of wholesale traders towards retail merchants.

“The ministry should ensure that the wholesale price of mutton stocks remain the same across the Kingdom. They cannot sell mutton to us at a higher price while lowering the prices for supermarkets and other meat shops.”

Another mutton merchant said the merchants have taken a unanimous decision to return mutton deliveries at the market back to wholesale traders until the authorities fix the issue.

“Generally, one container imported contains 3,000 mutton sheep. And what they are doing now is illegally stocking a large share of imported mutton in order to increase the prices.

“Until the beginning of Holy Month, mutton stocks were delivered to us at a rate of BD2.2 per kilogram. Now they are asking us to pay BD2.6 to BD2.8 per kilogram citing the shortage of supply. “If we buy stocks for BD2.8, we will be forced to sell them for at least BD3, which would naturally make the customers angry.

Many upset customers yesterday warned us of filing complaints with authorities thinking we are the culprits behind this price rise.

“We are innocent and this fraudulent act is being committed by the wholesale traders, mainly three traders, who, to a large extent, control the Kingdom’s mutton market. “Owing to existing annual contracts, supermarkets and meat shops outside the Central Market are buying mutton from these wholesale traders for BD2.2 while we are being exploited to the fullest possible extent by asking to pay higher prices.”

The mutton merchants said the fraudulent act from the part of wholesale traders has resulted in higher prices for mutton at the Central Market as supermarkets continue to sell at lower prices. “Customers think we are frauds, deceiving them by increasing the prices during the Holy Month. “We have no answers when they question us as to why we are selling mutton at a price much higher than those at supermarkets.”

“We are losing our customers as we are forced to sell mutton at higher prices imposed on us by these wholesale traders.”

This row over prices comes amid the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism frequently vowing tough checks on Ramadan prices of food items. The ministry has said that it is closely monitoring the prices of all food products in the local markets to ensure there is no price rise during the Holy Month.

“The prices of all basic food products including fruits and vegetables are being monitored,” it had said earlier. The ministry has been carrying out many periodic inspection campaigns to ensure that traders are not stocking excess fruits and vegetables with an aim to increase their prices after heavy demand during the Holy Month.

Action was taken against many traders who would stock surplus quantities of fruits and vegetables. Legal measures were taken against the violators on the basis of Law No 35 of 2012.