By Ana Mano
SAO PAULO, Jan 22 (Reuters) - The world's largest meat company JBS will double production output in its new chicken processing plant in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah by the end of 2026, according to a statement on Thursday.
JBS's bet in Saudi Arabia underpins a strategy to increase local food production, while supporting Saudi Arabia's resolve to reduce reliance on food imports, a step also taken by a rival Brazilian food producer.
The plant, which JBS built from the ground and started
operations last year, allowed the company to quadruple its overall production capacity in Saudi Arabia, where it makes and sells beef and chicken products under the Seara brand.
Last October, JBS rival MBRF signed an investment deal with Saudi Arabia's Halal Products Development Company (HPDC) to boost their local joint venture, paving the way for a listing of that JV on the Riyadh stock exchange by 2027. MBRF is also building a food factory in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia's second-largest city, with capacity to process about 40,000 tons of meat products per year starting in mid-2026.
In an interview, Joao Campos, CEO of JBS's Seara division, told Reuters the company's Seara brand was introduced to Saudi consumers in 2021, and now is a top-three brand by market share in the country.
Another move to grow JBS's presence in Saudi Arabia involves the Arabian Company for Agricultural and Industrial Investment, which will produce products for the Seara brand going forward, Campos said. The executive declined to discuss JBS' production capacity in Saudi Arabia, where it also runs a plant in Dammam that makes beef burgers and other chicken products.
JBS has invested $85 million in Saudi Arabia since 2021. From the company's Jeddah plant, JBS already exports meat products to countries like Kuwait, Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
(Reporting by Ana Mano; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
