DOHA: A severe shortage of king fish in the local market has pushed the prices to nearly QR100 a kg, perhaps an all-time-high.
This is about a nine-folds jump in the prices within 10-15 days as king fish (small size) was sold at QR11.5 a kg a couple of weeks ago, said a salesman at one of the leading hypermarkets.
According to reports, the prices of king fish reached QR90 a kg during the first week of August last year. The sudden jump in the prices of the fish, one of the most favourite varieties of seafood among citizens and expatriates, has led some customers calling for an immediate intervention by market watchdogs.
“This is unbelievable. How the prices can fluctuate so much with in such a short time? This is happening just because there is no regulation from municipal authorities. The Consumer Protection Department should also intervene,” Ahmed Al Emadi, a Qatari who had come to buy the fish, this newspaper.
Al Emadi, visibly upset after seeing the prices displayed at the hypermarket, said: “At least I am not going to buy at this arbitrary price. This is monopoly. If there are no supplies, how come they are selling it.”
Generally demand for seafood goes up during the winter months as consumers prefer to eat fish to meat. However, the catch also goes up as fish have a tendency to move upward in the sea during the winter season, according to experts.
A vendor, who did not wish to be named, said: “A significant reason for the sudden jump in the prices of king fish is due to fall in supplies as fishermen are reluctant to go to the sea due to cold and windy weather conditions.”
However, he did not give any satisfactory reasons when asked why only the prices of king fish have witnessed such a sharp rise while those of other popular varieties such as hamour and zubaidi are relatively stable.
Another Qatari, who refused to give his name, said: “I wanted to buy king fish, but now I am going to buy meat since QR99.5 a kg is not worth paying for this small size of fish.”
He said the prices of fish should also be controlled by the government in the similar manner it monitors the vegetable prices. “Otherwise, we will continue to see such fluctuations.”
Given the exorbitant prices, sales of king fish remained low as people opted for other varieties and substitutes. “Usually, we sell about four to five boxes of king fish daily at normal prices, but today we received only two boxes and nearly one full is still unsold,” said the salesman.
The Peninsula
