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Saudi Arabia: Prices go up as rain and labor shortages impact vegetable farming

Weeks of stormy and wet weather in various agricultural producing regions of Saudi Arabia has affected the farm yields, which were already suffering due to a labor shortage. This has resulted in vegetable prices increasing by up to 40 percent. The floods in neighboring Jordan, a major supplier of vegetables to the Saudi kingdom, also had an impact on supplies.

Jeddah’s central vegetables market, which is the largest wholesale market in the kingdom, is witnessing a drop in supplies. Vegetable harvesting was hampered because of mud-soaked paddocks after the recent downpours.

Madinah, Qassim, Riyadh, Asir, Baha, Jouf and some parts of Makkah region have received heavy rain in recent days, causing damage to crops, especially vegetables. The crops remaining in the waterlogged fields are likely to rot.

“The shortage is only temporary; it will be over in next few days,” said Mohammed Jafer, a Riyadh-based employee handling vegetable supplies to major cities. He said with sufficient rain, fresh and quality vegetable produce is expected to hit the shelves soon.

According to saudigazette.com.sa¸ many farms in the countryside that were dominated by expatriate laborers have been closed now. The farms used to employ a significant number of illegal workers. Intensified inspections by authorities as part of weeding out illegals from the country resulted in the arrests of many of them, and this led many of the farms to close down.

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