Browse Data and Analysis

Saudi Arabia is home to a growing food manufacturing and processing sector which benefits from population and income growth, life-style changes, state support, and favorable trade agreements.

Chicken meat production is expected to continue to rise as the Kingdom pursues a goal of 80% self-sufficiency by 2025.

Saudi Arabia is home to an over-sized and resilient hotel, restaurant and institutional (HRI) industry that is a promising market for US exporters.

U.S. exports of consumer-oriented food products to Saudi Arabia increased by approximately 11 percent in 2019 - to a record high of $588 million.

Saudi barley import tenders for July-September 2020 are 12 percent less than the quantity of barley imported over the same period last year (1.68 million MT vs. 1.91 million MT).

Saudi Arabia privatized two of its four flour milling companies for 740.5 million USD on July 8, 2020. The remaining two are expected to be sold in the next few weeks.

The major export certificates required by Saudi Arabia’s regulatory and import control agencies are included in this Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards (FAIRS) - Report...

In 2019, Saudi Arabia withdrew a draft regulation to establish extremely low upper limits on sugar in a wide range of food products.

Saudi Arabia is a significant market for U.S. food and agricultural products, with direct U.S. exports estimated at $1.39 billion in 2019.

On June 20, 2020 Saudi Arabia imposed higher tariffs on a wide range of food and non-food products.

Saudi Arabia is increasing import tariffs on a wide range of products effective June 10, 2020. The increases cover 2718 HS codes and include numerous food and agriculture products.

Total Saudi corn imports for this marketing year (MY 2019/20) are estimated at 3.3 million MT, a reduction of approximately 18 percent compared to USDA’s official estimate.