Saudi Gazette report

 

JEDDAH — A number of bakeries here have complained about a shortage of whole-wheat flour in the local market, Makkah newspaper reported.



The bakeries reported that the shortage has negatively affected sales but the organization blamed for the shortfall denied the report and said bakeries were receiving sufficient quantities of flour.



A sales supervisor at a local bakery said he noticed a continuous shortage of whole-wheat flour a month ago.



“Sometimes, we don’t get any flour because it runs out of the market quickly. Whole-wheat bread is very popular among people who are on a diet or those who simply want to follow a healthy lifestyle,” he said.



A worker in another bakery said the bakery usually uses 90 kilograms of whole-wheat flour every day but over the past month it has been experiencing shortages.



A sales supervisor at a company that sells flour to bakeries attributed the shortage to Grain Silos and Flour Mills Organization (GSFMO).



The organization requires flour distributors to give each bakery its allowable quantity of flour and never exceed the set quantity.



“If a bakery takes 90 big flour bags every month, it should not get more than that. Some bakeries sell extra quantities in the black market for higher prices,” he said.



It is the GSFMO that determines the quantity of flour a bakery needs after its representative visits the bakery.



However, GSFMO spokesman Ahmad Al-Faris said there is no shortage of whole-wheat and white flour, noting that the organization’s branch in Jeddah stores more than 600,000 tons of flour in its warehouses.