Import market · Saudi Arabia · fresh fruit and vegetables
Saudi Arabia: fresh produce imports from Peru, Ecuador and Kenya (2024 data)
Priority 3 — under USD 100 m · trade data retrieved 26 Oct 2026
Short answer
- Saudi Arabia reported USD 44.4 m of in-scope fresh produce imports from these origins in 2024, led by Ecuador bananas (excl. plantains) (29,058 t, USD 24.6 m).
- In the KNBS/AFA table, Saudi Arabia ranked number 7 for Kenyan horticultural exports in 2024 (provisional): 19,184 t, KSh 5.01 billion, including cut flowers.
- PIB names this market among India's FY 2024-25 seafood destinations (Middle East). Seafood is context only here.
Verified trade flow = Saudi Arabia reported the import in UN Comtrade for 2024. Hypothesis = a possible opportunity not confirmed by trade data or buyers. Nothing here is a supplier offer, price, market-access ruling or legal opinion.
Why importers source through SeedMatch instead of alone
Finding an exporter is rarely the hard part; specifying, screening and comparing offers for a perishable product with a short window is. A sourcing specialist does that work with you.
Free for buyers
No fee to submit or review a request. Qualified programmes start at USD 250,000 total annual or seasonal value.
One structured RFQ
Variety, grade and size, pack, volumes, arrival window, documents, Incoterm and cold chain in one brief.
Several suppliers, screened and compared
Responses are organised against your specification; supplier claims stay marked as declared until documents are reviewed.
Confidential, mediated contact
Your company details stay confidential. Supplier communication is mediated by Global B2B Group, SeedMatch's parent group; suppliers do not contact you directly.
Evidence on origin and market
Trade flows and authority links on this page are dated and cited, and hypotheses are labelled.
What makes fresh produce hard to source alone
- Fruits and vegetables lose 25.4% after harvest and before retail, against 13.3% for all food. FAO, SDG indicator 12.3.1 (2023 estimate)
- Fruits and vegetables were the most-notified category in the EU Alert and Cooperation Network in 2024 (1,479 notifications, 16%); pesticide residues were the most reported issue. European Commission, ACN 2024 Annual Report
A complete specification and like-for-like comparison can help you negotiate on one basis and save your team time. These are potential benefits, not guaranteed savings, prices or margins.
Verified flows in scope
| Origin | Product (HS) | Tonnes | USD m | Share of market's imports (value) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ecuador | Bananas (excl. plantains) (080390) | 29,058 | 24.6 | 43.7% |
| Kenya | Avocados (080440) | 11,139 | 14.6 | 49.1% |
| Peru | Table grapes, fresh (080610) | 803 | 2.4 | 3% |
| Kenya | Mangoes, guavas, mangosteens (080450) | 1,591 | 1.6 | 2.6% |
| Peru | Mandarins incl. satsumas (080521) | 535 | 0.6 | 0.9% |
| Peru | Avocados (080440) | 102 | 0.6 | 2.1% |
Source: UN Comtrade, importer-reported, 2024, retrieved 26 Oct 2026.
Colombia: recorded, exporter validation pending
These imports were reported, but product-specific exporter-to-market validation for this market is incomplete; see the Colombia origin page for documented flows. Colombia
| Origin | Product (HS) | Tonnes | USD m | Share of market's imports (value) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colombia | Avocados (080440) | 184 | 0.9 | 2.9% |
Hypotheses to test (not confirmed)
- Kenyan avocados and Ecuadorian bananas are the verified in-scope flows; volumes are smaller than in Europe.
RFQ specification template
The fields suppliers ask for first. Fill them once in the request; the specialist uses the same brief for every supplier.
- Product and variety
- e.g. Hass avocado; name acceptable alternatives
- Origin preference
- one or several origins, or open
- Grade, class and size
- your grade standard, size or count range
- Pack format and labelling
- carton or punnet, net weight, label language, private label
- Volume
- per shipment and per season
- Delivery window and frequency
- first and last arrival week, weekly or per-container
- Destination and Incoterm
- port or warehouse; FOB, CFR, CIF or DAP
- Documents
- see the checklist below
- Cold chain
- your temperature and transit requirements
- Total programme value
- USD 250,000 or more, annual or seasonal
Request quotes:Bananas (excl. plantains) — EcuadorAvocados — KenyaMangoes, guavas, mangosteens — Kenya
Quality and traceability document checklist
Legal requirements depend on product, origin and use; the authority link decides. Buyer practices are what many importers ask for — confirm with your own customers.
- Legal requirementPhytosanitary certificate from the exporting country's plant-protection organisation, where the destination requires one.
- Legal requirementPesticide residues within the destination's maximum residue limits for that product.
- Common buyer practiceFood-safety or good-practice certificates (for example GLOBALG.A.P., BRCGS, IFS) naming holder, site, scope and expiry.
- Common buyer practiceLot traceability from pallet to packhouse and farm.
- Common buyer practicePre-shipment quality report against your grade, and temperature records for the voyage.
- Common buyer practiceCertificate of origin where a tariff preference is claimed.
Context outside the produce RFQ
| Origin | Product (HS) | Tonnes | USD m | Share of market's imports (value) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | Frozen warm-water shrimp and prawns (030617) | 67 | 0.5 | 2.8% |
| Origin | Product (HS) | Tonnes | USD m | Share of market's imports (value) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya | Roses, cut fresh (060311) | 9,193 | 48.7 | 47.1% |
SeedMatch does not source seafood or cut flowers. Seafood buyers can use the group's buyer-first channels: Global B2B Group · FishMatch Group
Import-readiness checklist: Saudi Arabia
The steps an importer typically works through for commercial fresh fruit and vegetables under Saudi rules, each linked to the official page it rests on. Steps marked "Verify" were not confirmed from an official source in our review: treat them as questions for the authority, not as requirements.
1. GCC agricultural quarantine
SFDA's fresh-produce clearance requirements call for compliance with the GCC agricultural quarantine law and its Saudi executive regulations; confirm product and origin restrictions with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture.
Check before shipment
- Exact botanical name, variety, country and region of production entered in the lookup
- Quarantine permit or authorisation if required
- Requirements for clearance of fresh fruits and vegetables — Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), undated page, checked 28 Oct 2026
2. Clearance documents
SFDA lists a phytosanitary (or re-export) certificate, customs declaration, purchase invoice, packing list and certificate of origin.
Check before shipment
- Full document set matches the consignment
- Requirements for clearance of fresh fruits and vegetables — Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), undated page, checked 28 Oct 2026
3. SFDA importer and product registration
SFDA states that the importer must be registered in its electronic systems and that the products to be imported must also be registered.
Check before shipment
- Importer account and registration of each product
- Requirements for clearance of fresh fruits and vegetables — Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), undated page, checked 28 Oct 2026
- Imported food control — Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), undated page, checked 28 Oct 2026
4. Gulf standards, residue limits and labelsVerify
SFDA requires compliance with the approved Gulf technical regulations; this review did not confirm the specific residue limits or the label and shelf-life fields for each product.
Check before shipment
- Exporter's spray record for the lot compared with the destination's limit for each active substance
- Label fields: origin, lot and any date marking
- Requirements for clearance of fresh fruits and vegetables — Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), undated page, checked 28 Oct 2026
- Imported food control — Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), undated page, checked 28 Oct 2026
Reviewed 28 Oct 2026. Requirements depend on the exact product, origin and use, and change. Not legal advice and no promise of clearance; the importer of record confirms the current rules with the authority before contracting.
Import authorities to check before contracting
- Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA)
Check product-specific requirements with the authority before contracting.
Each importer, exporter and supplier remains responsible for the rules that apply to its own role. Requirements vary by product, origin and use, and change; confirm the current requirement with the authority.
For growers and exporters: export-ready supply
Buyers compare consistency of size, maturity and documentation. On the supply side that depends on irrigation, packhouses and cold chain — SeedMatch's core project scope.
Sourcing fresh produce for Saudi Arabia
Send one confidential request with products, origins, grade, packaging, volumes, delivery window and destination. A sourcing specialist reviews it before any supplier is approached; supplier communication is mediated by Global B2B Group, and buyers and suppliers do not contact each other directly. Free for buyers; programmes from USD 250,000. SeedMatch does not grow, export, import or certify, and does not guarantee price, supply or import approval.
Questions buyers ask
Which fresh produce from Peru, Ecuador and Kenya does Saudi Arabia import most?
By reported 2024 import value: Bananas (excl. plantains) – Ecuador (USD 24.6 m); Avocados – Kenya (USD 14.6 m); Table grapes, fresh – Peru (USD 2.4 m). Source: UN Comtrade, as reported by Saudi Arabia, retrieved 26 Oct 2026.
Does a recorded trade flow mean a product can be imported into Saudi Arabia today?
No. Trade data shows what was imported in a past year. Current plant-health, food-safety and residue rules apply per product and origin; the importer and exporter confirm them with the authority before contracting.
Is SeedMatch free for importers?
Yes. Buyers do not pay to submit or review a request. Managed sourcing is for programmes of at least USD 250,000 total annual or seasonal value.
Which documents should I ask an exporter for?
Typically the phytosanitary certificate where required, evidence that residues meet the destination's limits, food-safety or good-practice certificates with holder, site, scope and expiry, lot traceability and a pre-shipment quality report. The legal list depends on product, origin and the authority.
How does sourcing through SeedMatch work for this market?
Send one confidential request. A sourcing specialist reviews it before suppliers are approached; supplier communication is mediated by Global B2B Group, and buyers and suppliers do not contact each other directly. SeedMatch does not grow, export, import or certify.
Exporters by origin: Peru · Ecuador · Kenya · India · Colombia
- UN Comtrade Database — importer-reported imports by partner, annual, HS six-digit — United Nations Statistics Division, 2026-10-26
- Agroexportaciones cierran el 2024 con un récord de US$ 12,798 millones (ten main destination countries) — MIDAGRI, Peru, 2025-02-11
- National Agriculture Production Report 2025, Table 4.11: Top 20 horticultural export destinations (AFA data, 2024 provisional) — Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, 2025-10
- India's Seafood Exports: From Growth to Global Competitiveness (FY 2024-25 destinations) — Press Information Bureau, Government of India, 2026-04-03
Trade figures are importer-reported (UN Comtrade public API, retrieved 26 Oct 2026), 2024 except the UAE (2023, the latest it had reported). Rows under USD 0.5 m are omitted. HS codes may group several products. In scope: Peruvian blueberries, grapes, avocados, mangoes, mandarins and asparagus; Ecuadorian bananas; Kenyan avocados, beans, mangoes and other vegetables. Shrimp is context only. Not legal advice.