Demand is surging in Saudi Arabia for plastic and paper items associated with food gatherings in Saudi Arabia during the current Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Ramadan, which began this year on March 1, is noted for family gatherings and indulgent meals after a day-long fast.
Sales of items such as cups, plates and spoons have seen an increase in the run-up and during the Ramadan season from restaurants and families, who use them extensively during the holy month. The upsurge has prompted some shop owners to take advantage and hike up prices.
Since the last week of Shaaban, the lunar Islamic month preceding Ramadan, prices have gone up by SR4 for paper cups.
Prices of plastic utensils, mainly plates, vary according to size, but generally they have doubled to reach SR10 apiece for large plates, the Saudi newspaper Al Watan reported.
Mohammed Al Harabi, a vendor of paper products, said that since the first day of Ramadan, the demand for his items has increased.
These items are so widely used at family gatherings during Ramadan that their prices have gone up. “They are the preferred choice for women in Ramadan,” Al Harbi said.
He also cited a rise in demand for all types of paper napkins, whether for the table or scented napkins, aluminum foil rolls and packaging used to preserve food and keep it hot.
According to him, the boom in the restaurant and banquet sector in Saudi Arabia is fuelled by an increase in demand for ready-made meals and group fast-breaking Iftars during Ramadan.
“Restaurants and bakeries need paper materials in large quantities, a matter that is positively reflected in the sales,” he added.
Chef Maha Taher said most families prefer to use paper to facilitate preparing the sunset Iftar and the pre-dawn Suhur meals. This is particularly true for women workers whose schedules are tight during Ramadan.
