The Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) conducted an inspection campaign at the central market yesterday morning to monitor the sale of subsidised sheep for Qataris, which will continue until the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Through such campaigns, the MEC wants to ensure that the market has enough stocks of sheep and there is compliance with the approved conditions pertaining to weight and other aspects, the ministry has said in a statement.
The initiative of providing subsidised sheep, which came into effect yesterday, comes as part of the MEC’s efforts to maintain a balance between demand and supply of the commodity, which is in high demand during this time of the year, to ensure adequate availability in the local market as well as to exercise tighter control over the market, the statement notes.
The initiative is implemented through Widam Food Company, with each Qatari adult citizen entitled to two heads of sheep during the month of Ramadan.
These are to be received by submitting the original ID at Widam slaughterhouses in the country on the condition that the process of slaughtering the sheep takes place immediately after the purchase.
This is to ensure that the subsidised commodity goes to the persons targeted by the initiative.
The prices under this initiative are as follows: Syrian sheep — QR950 per head for 40kg and above; Iranian sheep — QR650 per head for 35kg and above; and local sheep — QR1,050 per head for 30kg and above.
Widam provides air-conditioned tents to receive customers with designated areas for men, women and the elderly to ease the sales process.
The cost of slaughtering and cutting sheep is set at QR16 while the porter’s charge is QR34.
These payment are to be made through separate coupons.