Saudi poultry sector cries foul over flood of imports

The Saudi Society for Poultry Producers has sent a plea to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry asking it to intervene to save the industry from impending collapse.


Abdullah Bakar Qadi, chairman of the society, called for protection of the poultry industry and producers from incurring huge losses. He said domestic investments worth more than Dh30 billion (more than US$8 billion) is at a risk if steps are not taken to control poultry imports.


"The incessant flooding of imported poultry products has inflicted a severe blow to the industry as a whole, resulting in the closure of several poultry stores in various parts of the kingdom," he said.


The society groups major poultry producers and distributors in the kingdom. About 83 percent of the local Saudi poultry production comes from the society members, Qadi added.


While noting that the flooding of local market with foreign poultry products started as early as 1990, Qadi said that the latest studies, carried out by the society about this phenomenon, showed that this was done by foreign exporters with direct support from their respective governments.


"The foreign exporters, especially those from Europe, are getting support from their governments in various ways, and these include exemption of customs duties, programme for financing exports, extending long-term loans at low-rate of interests and the like," he pointed out. (sa)