JBS Deepens Saudi Commitment With Major Production Expansion in Jeddah
World’s largest meatpacker to double output at its Saudi chicken processing plant by end 2026, underpinning Riyadh’s food security ambitions
JBS, the world’s largest meat company, is significantly expanding its footprint in Saudi Arabia with plans to double production capacity at its chicken processing facility in Jeddah by the end of 2026. The investment — part of a broader $85 million capital commitment in the kingdom since 2021 — reinforces JBS’s long-term strategic bet on the Middle Eastern market and aligns with Saudi efforts to increase local food production and reduce reliance on imports.
The Jeddah plant, built from the ground up and operational since last year, has already quadrupled the company’s meat production capacity in the country and produces beef and chicken products under the Seara brand, now among the top three in market share locally.
JBS’s expansion includes a collaboration with the Arabian Company for Agricultural and Industrial Investment to produce Seara-branded products domestically, expanding the supply chain beyond imports and strengthening Saudi Arabia’s halal food infrastructure.
The company also operates a second facility in Dammam that manufactures beef burgers and other processed meats.
Saudi Arabia’s drive toward food self-sufficiency is a core element of its broader economic diversification agenda under Vision 2030, and JBS’s investment complements similar moves by other global food producers.
Exports from the Jeddah plant already serve neighbouring Gulf markets including Kuwait, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, and the doubled output is expected to bolster both regional distribution and domestic supply.
JBS’s continued expansion underscores growing international confidence in Saudi Arabia’s industrial policy and its role as a strategic production hub for the Middle East and North Africa.
The Jeddah plant, built from the ground up and operational since last year, has already quadrupled the company’s meat production capacity in the country and produces beef and chicken products under the Seara brand, now among the top three in market share locally.
JBS’s expansion includes a collaboration with the Arabian Company for Agricultural and Industrial Investment to produce Seara-branded products domestically, expanding the supply chain beyond imports and strengthening Saudi Arabia’s halal food infrastructure.
The company also operates a second facility in Dammam that manufactures beef burgers and other processed meats.
Saudi Arabia’s drive toward food self-sufficiency is a core element of its broader economic diversification agenda under Vision 2030, and JBS’s investment complements similar moves by other global food producers.
Exports from the Jeddah plant already serve neighbouring Gulf markets including Kuwait, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, and the doubled output is expected to bolster both regional distribution and domestic supply.
JBS’s continued expansion underscores growing international confidence in Saudi Arabia’s industrial policy and its role as a strategic production hub for the Middle East and North Africa.
