The fruits and vegetables section at the wholesale market in Abu Hamour has experienced a low turnout of customers ahead of the Eid al-Fitr holidays.
This could be attributed to a number of factors, according to local Arabic daily Arrayah.
These include the oversupply of goods and a drop in footfall towards the end of Ramadan as many customers had stocked up by buying large quantities earlier, the daily said. Besides, a number of people have left the country to spend the Eid/summer holidays abroad.
Most salesmen at the market said the slump was a normal phenomenon for this time of the year. Sales in the first few weeks of Ramadan were high, they added.
The slowing demand has led to a drop in the prices of most varieties of vegetables and fruits at the market.
Many vendors are also willing to sell perishables at lower prices and a further drop is expected during the Eid holidays and the subsequent days.
For instance, a box of tomatoes (weighing around 7kg) was available for QR10-15 at the market recently.
The same was being for sold for QR30-35 during the middle of Ramadan. Similarly, the price of cucumber dropped from QR30 to QR20-15 a box.
In general, the drop in prices is estimated to range from 30% to 50%.
