Saudis throng a vegetable market in Jeddah.

Ahmad Al-Silmi, head of the inspection committee at the Ministry of Labor’s branch in Makkah, says he is optimistic about Saudis taking up Jeddah’s vegetable market jobs. He told Arab News that he hopes that job nationalization will reach 100 percent.

He added that the Nationalization Committee wants to create 200 new stands at the central fruit and vegetable market to be run by Saudis, and use the parking spots used by the delivery trucks that fit more than 100 cars.

Al-Silmi said priority will be given to the Saudi drivers and next to the expatriates who hold the “driver” title in their residence visas. He added that these parking spots were used earlier by expatriates for unloading their trucks; they should now be used by Saudis looking for job opportunities.

Al-Silmi warned the violating merchants that the committee is entitled to withdraw the stands that violate the rules for over three times. He added that the committee has received 800 applications for stands by Saudis.

Al-Silmi denied reports that were published in local newspapers that the expatriates are coming back to the vegetables market. He explained that this comes within the counter-campaign conducted by the merchants that will be affected by the competition generated by the nationalization project.

Al-Silmi explained that the committee’s goal currently is to observe the areas around the central market, where around which small vegetable outlets have sprung up.

Hamed Al-Mazrou’i, a merchant at the market, said an unprecedented number of applicants was received by the authorities as more Saudis are interested in joining the vegetable market.

He expected the number to increase to 1,600 applications in the coming weeks. “The opponents to the committee’s work are merchants who have opposed the nationalization project from the beginning,” he said, adding that some people refused to sell their vegetables hoping to increase the prices and negatively influence the committee’s work.

“These merchants used to rely on the expatriate distributors who are considered the largest wholesalers in the markets,” he added.

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