Browse Data and Analysis

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.

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.

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.

This report confirms the dropping of dioxin free certificate requirements for U.S. exports of dairy and dairy products to the Sultanate of Oman. For years, Oman required importers to provide a dioxin free certificate from the country of origin for dairy and dairy products, delaying entry and often requiring testing at destination.

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.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has published several new announcements, regulations, and standards at an extremely rapid pace.

Saudi Arabia is a 20th largest importer of U.S. food and agricultural products in the world, with direct U.S. exports of $1.23 billion in 2020. Return to semi-normal living conditions are invigorating U.S. agricultural exports to the Kingdom as supported by the U.S. Customs data for January – August 2021 that show 16 percent increase compared to the same period in 2020.

As a result of millions of religious pilgrims, foreign workers, and a developing tourism industry Saudi Arabia has a large and resilient HRI sector.

New measures by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority will have serious repercussions on the Saudi import poultry market.

Post anticipates a significant increase in U.S. high-value food product exports to Saudi Arabia in 2021 due to expansion of the retail sector.

Overall U.S. agricultural and related product exports to the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait (GCC-4) are higher by 3 percent from January to March 2021 compared to the same time last year.