Broiler meat production in Saudi Arabia is expected to reach 569,000 MT in 2013, about 25 percent higher than the production level in 2012. Saudi broiler production is projected to further rise in 2014 to 670,000 MT. The huge increase in local production is mostly due to ongoing expansion in broiler production operations by the three largest Saudi poultry producers. Saudi broiler meat imports in 2013 are expected to decrease to 760,000 MT, a decline of 6 percent, compared to imports in the previous year. In 2012, Brazil controlled 79 percent of the Saudi poultry import market with 628,627 MT, followed by France with an 18 percent market share and the U.S. with 1.5 percent. U.S. broiler exports to Saudi Arabia increased significantly in 2013 despite the very small number of the U.S. poultry suppliers that can satisfy the strict Saudi import requirements.
