Eggs, LPG, Flour, etc. Shortage in Doha?
I thought we were the only ones who have experienced LPG shortage here in Doha. I don't know if it's appropriate to call it a "shortage" but what would you call it if an item or product is no where to be found when you it the most? A few weeks ago, we tried calling every gas dealer that we could find in the Q-tel directory online after we've called the dealers here in Matar Qadeem. Somehow, it gives you a sense of panic when the each one of them tells you that there is no LPG available and it's not available in entire Doha. It's unbelievable but it happened.
Now, a fellow blogger has just posted that they experienced the same fate just last weekend and didn't have LPG for more than a day. I thought, our experience was just due to the holidays and all but when you hear others having experienced the same, it makes you really wonder why. How come a country that thrives on the oil industry has a shortage of LPG? Hmm... what could be the problem?
It wasn't so long ago when we all had to deal with the lack of eggs in the supermarkets. I remember the eggs selling for as much as 27 riyals per tray when it should only be around 15 riyals. Now the shelves are full of trays of eggs again. They either come from India or Brazil, with each tray selling from 15-20 riyals depending on where you buy them. We get ours from Family Food Center for only 15 riyals.
I've also read in one blog that even flour has been missing on the shelves lately. So I guess I would have to agree with that fellow blogger when she said, "what's next?" This lack of different items from the supermarkets and the LPG could be attributed to Qatar's growing population mainly from the influx of expatriates and most importantly to the fact that Qatar doesn't have any know industries other than petroleum and natural gas. Everything is just imported, from salt, sugar, what have you. I guess it's high time the government encourage investors to put up other industries here in Qatar. Look at Saudi, UAE and other neighboring gulf countries. It would definitely benefit the country if it has it's own industries. At least then, it doens't have to rely on others so much for basic commodities. Having said this, now I don't even know if "Qatar Pafki" (my favorite local cheese curls) is indeed from Qatar. Oh well, I checked the label and it does say "Made in Qatar". So there you go, at least it is one sure thing that is proudly Qatar-made.