Panicked Qatar shoppers stock up as Gulf rift bites

Doha : Shoppers in Doha were taking no chances despite Qatari officials reassuring residents there was no need to panic after Saudi Arabia imposed a de facto food blockade.

Qatar shares its only land border with Saudi Arabia, and relies heavily on food imports, much of it from Gulf countries.

Multiple queues up to 25-people deep formed in Carrefour supermarket in Doha’s City Center mall, one of the busiest shopping areas in the Qatari capital, hours after five Arab states cut diplomatic ties with the emirate.

Shoppers piled trollies and baskets high and shelves were stripped of essentials such as milk, rice and chicken.

Qatar imports goods such as chicken from Saudi Arabia, and locals quickly took to social media to complain they would have to eat poultry from Oman instead.

To try to avoid widespread panic-buying, Qatar’s government issued a statement claiming that shipping routes and airspace will remain open for imports.

The “Qatari Government will take all necessary measures to... thwart attempts to influence and harm the Qatari society and economy,” the statement said.

One sector of the economy which could be badly hurt is exports, including goods such as machinery, electronic equipment or livestock transported by road to Saudi Arabia.

According to the United Nations, Qatari exports to Saudi Arabia totalled $896 million in 2015.

The severing of ties is also potentially bad news for the service industry, including hotels and cab drivers in Doha.

Saudis usually flock to Qatar on holiday during Eid al-Fitr at the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan.

But with a travel ban now imposed by Riyadh, takings could be down for many south Asian cab drivers who rely heavily on tourists.