Residents throng Doha hotspots for celebration

SANTHOSH CHANDRAN

DOHA THE special Eid al Adha spread laid on in many Doha homes had the favourite chicken dishes missing thanks to a massive shortage of fresh chickens in the market on the first day of the three-day festival on Friday.

The disappearance of fresh chickens from the local market on this occasion is said to be the fallout of the Saudi ban on export of chickens to some countries, including Qatar, which bite the residents the hardest on the occasion of a major festival when the demand soars.

Saudi Arabia totally stopped export of poultry products due to a sharp decline in production and as a step to meet the high demand of chickens during the Hajj season.

Sources in the Lulu Hypermarket in Doha say that stoppage of supply from Saudi Arabia is a major reason for the shortage of chickens in Qatar.

Much of Qatar’s chickens supply comes from Saudi Arabia which meets 70 percent of the Qatari demand whereas the local production contributes only 30 percent of it.

The shortfall already being experienced in the market here because of this huge gap in demand and supply only worsened the situation with the demand for the product increasing manyfold on the occasion of this major festival.

In anticipation of high demand for chickens on Eid, major malls in Doha had stocked maximum supplies from the local market.

Restaurants and hotels in Doha were also not behind in cornering huge supplies of chickens from the local suppliers in advance to serve their customers dining out in large numbers during the Eid festivities. This also contributed to the shortage.

As the clamour for fresh chicken intensified with harried citizens running from one shop to another looking for the elusive thing and descending in ever increasing numbers on major retailers and trying to buy more than their requirement, big retailers like Lulu Hypermarket restricted sales and discouraged huge purchases by individuals on Friday.

“We put a limit on the quantity to be bought in order to ensure supply to our genuine customers,” an official of Lulu said on condition of anonymity.

If Saudi Arabia didn’t lift the ban on export of poultry products even after the Hajj season is over, the supply situation in the country will go from bad to worse in the next few days market observers fear.

“Qatar gets the supply of chicken from Saudi Arabia through road transportation which is less costly than imports by air from other neighbouring countries like Oman. Therefore if the Saudi supply does not resume in the coming few days, it will not only push up the price but also make chicken delicacies disappear from dining tables in many home in Qatar,” warned another market analyst who refused to be identified.

Price of one kilogramme of chicken is likely to touch QR30 against the existing price of between QR17 and QR20.