Camel meat and offal market in Saudi Arabia

Earlier Report Observations

The camel meat market in Saudi Arabia opened the period with a robust volume of 75 894 t in 2018, supported by seasonal demand during religious holidays and state-backed investments in camel farming infrastructure. The following year, the introduction of stricter food safety standards for camel meat processing temporarily affected operations, contributing to a market size decrease to 71 414 t in 2019.

Market volume demonstrated resilience in 2020, rising to 73 481 t. However, in 2021, persistently high feed prices increased production costs, leading to a sharp contraction in the market to 56 670 t.

Recovery began in 2022 when the government eased restrictions on feed imports, lowering input costs, and launched the "Livestock City" project in Buraydah to enhance cold chain logistics, pushing the market to 67 227 t. The growth accelerated in 2023 as the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival boosted demand and trade activity, driving the market volume to a peak of 81 747 t.

Production camel meat and offal in Saudi Arabia

In kind, 2017-2020, K t

From 2017 to 2020, Saudi Arabia maintained the second-highest global position in terms of camel meat and offal production volume.

Top producers of camel meat and offal, 2017-2020

World map of production of camel meat and offal, 2017-2020

In 2020, Saudi Arabia produced 73.4 K t of camel meat and offal, representing a 3.4% increase compared to the previous year. Production reached its lowest point in 2019 at 71.0 K t, while the peak was recorded in 2018 at 75.9 K t. The most significant decline occurred in 2019, with a drop of 6.3%.

Annual dynamics of production in Saudi Arabia in kind, 2017-2020, K t

Exports camel meat and offal from Saudi Arabia

Market analysis indicates that Saudi Arabia did not export any camel meat and offal between 2017 and 2020.

Imports camel meat and offal to Saudi Arabia

Imports in kind, t

Market performance showed notable fluctuations during this period. Imports reached their lowest point in 2020 and peaked in 2019, with an 11.5-fold difference between these years. In 2020, Saudi Arabia imported {value_last_year} t of camel meat and offal, which is 91.3% lower than the previous year. The maximum import volume was recorded in 2019 at 373.5 t, with the largest increase also occurring that year at 901.9%.

Annual dynamics of product's imports to Saudi Arabia in kind, 2017-2020, t

Between 2017 and 2020, Pakistan and India accounted for 87.1% of total camel meat and offal imports by volume, while the remaining share was distributed among other countries, each contributing smaller amounts.

Structure of product's imports in kind by countries, 2017-2020

World map of product's imports to Saudi Arabia in kind, 2017-2020

Imports in value, K $ US

Market performance exhibited significant fluctuations during this period. Import values dropped to their lowest in 2020 after reaching a high in 2019, with a 19-fold variation between these years. In 2020, Saudi Arabia's camel meat and offal imports amounted to 144 K $ US, marking a 94.6% decrease from the previous year. The peak value was recorded in 2019 at 2 668 K $ US, with the largest increase also occurring that year at 994.4%.

Annual dynamics of product's imports to Saudi Arabia in value, 2017-2020, K $ US

From 2017 to 2020, Pakistan and India dominated imports in value terms, collectively representing 86.8% of total flows, while the remaining share was spread across other countries.

Structure of product's imports in value by countries, 2017-2020

World map of product's imports to Saudi Arabia in value, 2017-2020