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This report serves as a reminder to U.S. exporters and traders that the Hong Kong government does not allow entry of U.S. poultry and egg products originating from affected counties reporting highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) when the bill of lading falls on or after the effective date of a ban.

Saudi Arabia’s barley imports for the first six months of MY 2022/23 (July – Dec. 2022) are estimated at 2.6 million metric tons (MMT), an increase of six percent compared to the same period last year. Post’s current projection for total barley imports for MY 2022/23 is 4.5 MMT, which is a decrease of four percent compared to the USDA official estimate of 4.7 MMT. Unless the price of barley drastically decreases, Post anticipates demand will remain low throughout MY 2022/23.

Saudi Arabia was a 24th largest market ($1.34 million) for U.S. food and agricultural products last year. A return to pre-Covid living and working conditions are invigorating U.S. agricultural exports to the Kingdom in 2022. U.S. Customs data for January – August 2022 shows an 11 percent increase in U.S. agricultural exports to Saudi Arabia compared to the same period in 2021.

From September 6-8, 2022, the Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) in Hong Kong hosted the strongest national pavilion at Restaurant and Bar, one of the largest food trade shows in Hong Kong. Seven U.S. exhibitors showcased their quality products to over 8,000 trade visitors.

U.S. exports of consumer-oriented food products to Saudi Arabia decreased four percent in 2021, compared to 2020, to approximately $535 million mainly due to shipping issues (e.g., fewer cargo ships, higher costs, etc.) throughout the year. In June 2022, the Saudi government lifted all COVID-19 restrictions allowing the food service sector to return to pre-pandemic operations while also fully reopening the country to foreign visitors.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, travel and dining restrictions decimated tourism to the city and negatively impacted the hospitality sector. Hong Kong’s restaurant receipts dropped from $14.4 billion in 2019 to $11.9 billion in 2021.

Following the success of our virtual seminar at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in March 2022, ATO Hong Kong partnered again with the University to co-host an educational cooking demonstration and lecture on July 18, 2022. The class highlighted versatile, sustainable, and delicious USA foods through the culinary presentations of two dynamic chefs.

High cost and freight (CFR) world barley prices have drastically reduced the demand for barley in Saudi Arabia, and contributed to the increased demand for domestically processed animal feed. For MY2021/22, Post projects total Saudi barley imports at...

Over the past several years, Saudi Arabia published quite a few new regulations and standards, some of which were notified to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Unfortunately, many of these standards were notified and immediately implemented, missing the opportunity to engage with international stakeholders and making it difficult for U.S. exporters to adjust.

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) - Certificates Report. These certificates are required for the importation of food and agricultural products into the Kingdom. Information in this report supplements the FAIRS Annual Country Report.

Hong Kong does not have any certification changes for food imports since the last report submitted in June 2021. This report lists the certificates required by the Hong Kong Government (HKG) for U.S. agricultural and food exports to Hong Kong.

U.S. exports of consumer-oriented food products to Saudi Arabia decreased four percent in 2021, compared to 2020, to approximately $535 million mainly due to shipping issues (e.g., fewer cargo ships, higher costs, etc.) throughout the year. Unfortunately, this trend is expected to continue throughout 2022.