Global e-commerce platforms have entered the line of promoting types of imported honey as natural Saudi sidr honey at cheap prices much lower than its natural price, in an indicator that shows the size of the challenges facing the consumer in verifying the quality and real source of the product, according to what Dr. Ahmed Al-Hazem, head of the Cooperative Beekeepers Association, told Al-Eqtisadiah.

Al-Hazem explained that the most prominent challenges facing the sector are the marketing of some types of imported honey as local honey at a price of 20 riyals per kilogram, although its price is no less than 250 riyals, some of them are advertisements through e-commerce and social media platforms.

But he pointed out that the presence of advertisements on global e-commerce platforms offering what is described as Saudi or Yemeni sidr honey at low prices does not necessarily mean that all types of imported honey are adulterated, but it shows the size of the challenge facing the beekeeper and the consumer in buying and selling honey.

Mon, 06 2026

Honey is one of the most food products susceptible to adulteration

He noted that honey is one of the most adulterated food products globally, citing the largest European regulatory campaign on imported honey during 2023, which showed that 46% of the examined samples were suspected of being adulterated or not meeting the requirements of natural honey.

Self-service machine for honey marketing

Average imports reach 20,000 tons, with China the largest

The Saudi market relies heavily on imported honey according to Al-Hazem, as imports amount to about 20,000 tons annually, compared to local production estimated at about 7,600 tons, meaning that the local product represents about 27.5% of total market supply, while imports account for about 72.5%.

He considered that this reality indicates a production gap that is still covered by imports, despite the development witnessed by the beekeeping sector in Saudi Arabia in recent years.

According to official data obtained by Al-Eqtisadiah from the General Authority for Statistics, Saudi Arabia's imports of honey of all kinds jumped 12% year-on-year last year, recording about 21,000 tons, with a total value of about 263 million riyals, compared to 18,500 tons worth 258 million riyals in 2024.

China came first with a total of 5,900 tons, capturing 29% of Saudi Arabia's total imports, followed by Pakistan with about 3,200 tons representing 15%, then India with 3,100 tons with a share of 15%, while Germany ranked fourth with a total of 2,000 tons representing 9.2%, and Mexico came fifth with about 1,700 tons with a share of 8% of total imports.

Prices vary by origin and quality.. starting at 12 riyals and reaching 1000

Regarding prices, Al-Hazem said that honey prices vary according to the floral source, country of origin, and quality level, starting from about 12 riyals per kilogram for some imported types, while exceeding 1,000 riyals per kilogram for rare and high-quality types, stressing that natural Saudi honey, especially sidr honey, is among the most expensive types of honey in the world.

The head of the association confirmed that economic feasibility is one of the most prominent incentives for the sector's growth in light of the high prices of local honey, indicating that some beekeepers achieve an annual income of up to hundreds of thousands of riyals, especially owners of large apiaries.

He added that the beekeeper's sources of income are not limited to selling honey, but also include selling queens, bee packages, wax, royal jelly, pollen, and other products, but the majority of producers focus on honey production due to its high prices compared to other products.

He attributed the growth witnessed by the honey sector to an integrated system of government initiatives, including training thousands of beekeepers, distributing free beehives, operating 11 mobile clinics for checking bee diseases, establishing 5 units for sorting and packaging honey serving about a thousand beekeepers, in addition to stations for producing queens with the aim of reducing dependence on importing more than one million bee packages annually.

10,000 beekeepers in Saudi Arabia

Beekeepers Association facility

Al-Hazem revealed the launch of the electronic honey auction platform during the 18th International Honey Festival in Al-Baha, which starts on July 24 and lasts 15 days, where the auction allows beekeepers in various regions of Saudi Arabia to sell their products after meeting quality requirements, and also provides a unified platform for traders and consumers to buy at wholesale prices, contributing to raising the level of transparency and organizing marketing operations and reducing opportunities for manipulation.

He mentioned that the number of active beekeepers in Saudi Arabia exceeded 10,000, while the number of permit holders exceeded 40,000, owning about two million beehives.

Sun, 19 2026

Business incubator for beekeepers and specialized diploma

The association will launch during the festival a business incubator for beekeepers within a program aimed at qualifying 500 entrepreneurs, starting with training, then providing equipment and supplies, technical supervision, obtaining licenses, and finally marketing products or purchasing them from producers, enhancing the sustainability of small projects and raising the efficiency of local production.

Also, a one-year beekeeping diploma is expected to be launched next semester, a program accredited by the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation and the 'Reef' Academy, aimed at qualifying specialized national cadres in the beekeeping sector.

8,000 tons of Saudi production.. one third goes for export

According to data from the General Authority for Statistics, Saudi Arabia's honey production in 2024 amounted to about 8,000 tons, led by Asir region with production of about 3,000 tons, followed by Al-Baha and Makkah regions with about 1,000 tons each, then Jazan with about 860 tons, and Hail with about 672 tons.

The data indicates that local production has gradually doubled from 3,000 tons in 2017 and continued to rise annually until reaching 8,000 tons in 2024, highlighting the continuous expansion of the sector's production capacity.

In contrast, Saudi Arabia's honey exports rose by 12.5% during 2025 to reach 2,400 tons, representing about one-third of production, according to the authority's data.

Arab countries captured the largest share of Saudi honey exports, led by the UAE, Jordan, and Kuwait, while exports extended to high value-added markets such as the United States and Canada, in addition to Indonesia and Malaysia.