The Kingdom imports 70 million prayer beads annually, a dealer said here recently.Jamal Al-Juhani, chief of prayer bead dealers in Jeddah, told a gathering at the third National Productive Families Forum, that the government should set up a factory to produce prayer beads.

He said prayer beads are manufactured domestically with local materials and wood imported from India and tropical regions. The prices vary depending on the quality, from SR200 to SR80,000, he said.

He said Saudi Arabia could export prayer beads, but there was tough competition from countries such as China. There are also those who produce prayer beads using cheap materials, he said.

Al-Juhani said he started dealing in prayer beads as a hobby, but later decided to make it a full-scale business because of the high demand from citizens, residents, and pilgrims coming for Haj and Umrah.

Source:- arabnews.com