Saudi Arabia Feed Additives Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends and Forecast (2026 - 2031)

Saudi Arabia Feed Additives Market Trends and Insights

Rising Concern for Animal Health

Saudi poultry producers face increasing pressure to reduce morbidity as broiler production reached 1 million metric tons in 2024, a significant rise from negligible volumes a decade ago, with self-sufficiency climbing to 72% ^{[1]Source: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, “Grain and Feed Annual: Saudi Arabia,” usda.gov}. A 2024 study conducted by King Saud University revealed that all 100 poultry feed samples tested contained mycotoxins, with aflatoxin B1 detected in 70%, fumonisin B1 in 56%, and deoxynivalenol in 38%. This has driven demand for mycotoxin binders and detoxifiers, such as Adisseo's Toxy-Nil and Kemin's Myco CURB. Enzyme cocktails like Rovabio Advance, tested at King Saud University, and Caplix multienzyme, evaluated at King Abdulaziz University, are being adopted to address nutrient variability in locally sourced barley and imported corn, which account for 4.85 million metric tons and 3.0 million metric tons of annual consumption, respectively.

Increasing Demand for Animal Protein

Per-capita meat and egg consumption continues to grow, driven by urbanization and rising disposable incomes. Saudi poultry production reached 558.0 thousand metric tons in the first half of 2024, reflecting a 9% year-over-year increase. Saudi Vision 2030 aims to achieve 80% broiler self-sufficiency by 2030, leading to an estimated SAR 17 billion (USD 4.5 billion) in cumulative investments across hatcheries, grow-out farms, and processing plants. These developments are projected to increase compound-feed volumes and additive penetration rates. Additionally, the government's planned ban on alfalfa cultivation by 2027 or 2028 to conserve water is shifting livestock producers toward imported green fodder and compound feeds enriched with vitamins, minerals, and protein concentrates. To support this transition, the Agricultural Development Fund is offering 12-month import guarantees to facilitate documentary-credit financing.

Growing Production of Compound Feed

Compound-feed production has tripled over the past decade, with Arasco operating at an annual capacity of 4 million metric tons and new mills being established at an accelerating pace. In September 2025, Tanmiah inaugurated a 40 metric tons per hour automated feed mill in Dahna, incorporating advanced biosecurity measures and stringent quality controls. In March 2025, Modern Mills committed USD 40 million to expand its animal-feed plant. First Milling's acquisition of Al-Manar Feed Co. in August 2025 added 450 metric tons per day of capacity, increasing its total feed-mixing capability to 1,350 metric tons per day and wheat-milling capacity to 4,200 metric tons per day. This acquisition created a vertically integrated platform that supplies bran and wheat germ as feed ingredients, alongside formulated compound feeds. The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) mandates technical requirements for feed plants, including dedicated additive-weighing areas with calibrated scales, CCTV monitoring with a 90-day recording retention period, and batch-level traceability. Reference samples must be stored for at least 180 days after the expiration date of the product. These regulations promote quality systems that benefit additive suppliers with strong technical support and documentation.

Saudi Government Poultry-Expansion Programs

Under Saudi Vision 2030, subsidies for broiler self-sufficiency include a zero-percent duty on specified additive imports, which reduces landed costs for products such as methionine, lysine, and enzymes. The Agricultural Development Fund provides 70% financing for poultry projects, including broiler, layer, parent stock, and hatchery operations, as well as dedicated credit lines for compound feed plants and hydroponic green fodder systems. The Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture demonstrated its support by attending Tanmiah's September 2025 plant inauguration, highlighting political backing for integrated poultry operations that include feed mills and advanced processing lines.

Challenging Regulatory Conditions

The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) Animal Feed and Nutrition Registration system mandates detailed safety dossiers, including toxicology studies, residue data, and manufacturing-site audits. Approval timelines for novel additives not listed in GSO 2500/2022 or JECFA tables range from 12 to 18 months ^{[2]Source: Saudi Food and Drug Authority, “Technical Regulation: Feeds and Feed Additives,” sfda.gov.sa}. Lab testing fees of approximately USD 1,333 per product and technical-visit inspection fees ranging from USD 4,667 to USD 8,800 result in high upfront costs. These expenses deter small and mid-tier importers from introducing niche products, such as probiotics or phytobiotics, thereby consolidating market share among multinational suppliers with dedicated regulatory affairs teams. Furthermore, ISO 9001:2015 certification is becoming an increasingly standard requirement for feed-plant licensing. Companies such as United Feed Company and Feedback Energy Distribution Company Limited (FEEDCO) emphasize their quality management systems as a competitive advantage in a market where regulatory enforcement is becoming stricter.

Volatility in Raw-Material Prices

Global lysine and methionine spot prices fluctuated by more than 30% within a 12-month period in 2023 and 2024. Lysine HCl was priced between EUR 1,535 and EUR 1,630 (USD 1,630 to USD 1,730) per metric ton, while methionine reached EUR 2,700 (USD 2,870) per metric ton by September 2023. These price swings have pressured margins for Saudi feed millers without long-term supply contracts. Evonik, the leading methionine supplier, lacks fermentation capacity in the Middle East, forcing Saudi customers to bear freight costs from European plants and manage currency-conversion risks, particularly as the riyal's dollar peg amplifies the volatility of euro-denominated invoices. In August 2024, BASF declared force majeure on vitamin A and E supplies due to production issues at its Ludwigshafen plant, lifting the restriction only by mid-2025. This led to spot shortages, compelling Saudi premix blenders to procure from Chinese suppliers at premiums of 15% to 20%.

*Our forecasts treat driver/restraint impacts as directional, not additive. The impact forecasts reflect baseline growth, mix effects, and variable interactions.

Segment Analysis

By Type: Amino Acids Lead, Probiotics Surge

Amino acids captured 22.0% share of the Saudi Arabia feed additives market size in 2025, driven by the demand for lysine and methionine in broiler and layer rations. Evonik's Rhodimet methionine products and Ajinomoto's lysine HCl dominate this segment, although pricing volatility and reliance on imports present ongoing challenges. Vitamins also held a significant market share in 2024, with DSM-Firmenich's Microvit A and E and BASF's vitamin portfolio serving as key premix ingredients. In August 2024, a force majeure on BASF's vitamin A and E production led to spot shortages, increasing the market share of Chinese suppliers ^{[3]Source: BASF, “Animal Nutrition,” basf.com}. 

Probiotics are forecast to grow at a 12.6% CAGR through 2031, with Bacillus subtilis strains, such as Kemin's CloStat and Chr. Hansen's probiotic blends, increasingly replacing antibiotic growth promoters in broiler starter diets. Kemin's sciORIAN digital platform, marketed in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMENA) region, integrates feed formulation software with additive recommendation algorithms. This platform enables nutritionists to model enzyme and probiotic inclusion rates based on real-time ingredient costs and mycotoxin contamination data. Acidifiers, including Perstorp's ProSid and BASF's formic-acid products, are gaining renewed interest as producers reduce dietary buffering capacity to suppress pathogen proliferation in young birds. Additionally, antioxidants such as ethoxyquin and butylated hydroxytoluene remain niche but critical for stabilizing fish-oil-enriched aquaculture feeds.

By Animal Type: Poultry Dominates, Aquaculture Accelerates

Poultry accounted for 46.0% of the Saudi Arabia feed additives market share in 2025, supported by Saudi Vision 2030 broiler self-sufficiency targets and the rapid growth of integrated producers such as Tanmiah, Almarai, and Arasco. Broiler production reached 1 million metric tons in 2024, with self-sufficiency rising to 72%. Government subsidies included zero-percent import duties on additives for eligible projects. Layer operations are increasingly using organic trace minerals and omega-3-enriched feeds to cater to the premium egg market demand. Products such as Alltech's Bioplex and DSM-Firmenich's Hy-D vitamin D have gained market share in breeder and layer rations.

Aquaculture is projected to advance at an 11.4% CAGR to 2031, driven by initiatives such as NAQUA's 100,000 metric tons per year facility and KAUST's DABKSA microalgae project, which focus on developing seaweed-based pigments and immunomodulators for finfish and shrimp feeds. Integrated multi trophic aquaculture trials using Ulva lactuca have shown improved growth rates and immune responses, positioning Red Sea mariculture as a key segment for novel additive development. The government's planned alfalfa ban, projected in 2027 or 2028, is encouraging dairy producers to transition to compound feeds fortified with bypass proteins, chelated minerals, and yeast-based probiotics. Products like Lallemand's Levucell SC, which enhances rumen fermentation efficiency and milk yield, are gaining traction in this segment.

Geography Analysis

Saudi Arabia's feed additives market is concentrated in the Eastern Province, Central Region, and Western Province. Dammam, Riyadh, and Jeddah serve as primary production and distribution hubs due to their access to ports, government-subsidized industrial zones, and proximity to major poultry and dairy operations. The Eastern Province benefits from significant feed production and storage capacities. Arasco operates a 4 million metric ton feed capacity, while FEEDCO's mill is strategically located near a port, and United Feed Company manages a 3.5 million metric ton barley storage network. The region's direct access to King Abdul Aziz Port in Dammam reduces landed costs for imported lysine, methionine, and vitamin premixes by 10% to 15% compared to inland locations.

Riyadh, the capital and headquarters of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), plays a pivotal role in the feed additives market. The city hosts Trouw Nutrition's Saudi Feed Mix premix plant, Modern Mills' expanding feed operations, and Alwadi Poultry Farms' new 90 metric tons per hour mill, currently under construction by ANDRITZ. These developments position the Central Region as a key hub for both regulation and manufacturing. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia's second-largest city and a gateway to the Red Sea trade, is home to First Milling's largest wheat and feed mill, BRF's USD 50 million processing plant, and emerging aquaculture ventures such as NAQUA's 120,000 metric tons per year feed mill. These facilities highlight the Western Province's dual role in supporting terrestrial and marine protein production. 

The Red Sea coast, including Jeddah, Thuwal, and Yanbu, is emerging as a strategic hub for the development of seaweed-based additives. KAUST's DABKSA project operates 1,000 square meters of microalgae facilities and plans a Phase II expansion to 42,000 square meters. This initiative aims to supply natural pigments and immunomodulators for aquaculture feeds. The National Grain Company, a joint venture between SALIC and Bahri established in 2020, focuses on developing efficient infrastructure to ensure the availability of feed grains at competitive prices across all regions. This effort aims to reduce price volatility, which has historically hindered the implementation of long-term additive supply contracts, and supports suppliers with robust distribution networks.

Regulatory Landscape

Saudi Arabia regulates animal feed and non-medicated feed additives under the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) framework, requiring pre-market registration before import, local manufacture, or circulation. Product licensing and establishment licensing are centralized through the Animal Feed National Registry (AFNR), which covers importer authorization, feed-premix/additive registrations, and the documentation needed for clearance of imported feed products, such as certificates of origin and specific health documentation when applicable.

SFDA technical guidance and factory requirements shape operating models for additive suppliers and premixers. The February 2024 SFDA Products Classification Guidance sets out how additives are categorized (nutritional, sensory, technological, and zootechnical), which determines dossier pathways, while the April 2025 Technical Requirements for Feed Factories and Warehouses tightened expectations for facilities and traceability. The requirements include monitored additive-mixing points (camera coverage with 90-day retention), calibrated weighing controls, and documented corrective procedures, which typically benefits suppliers with regulatory affairs capacity, audited manufacturing sites, and local partners already active on AFNR.

Market Opportunities and Future Outlook

Investment-led expansion of Saudi feed milling and protein production is broadening the addressable base for additives that support conversion efficiency, gut health, and contaminant risk management, with the strongest pull in poultry and in emerging aquaculture value chains tied to Vision 2030 food security priorities. Recent large projects point to where capacity is being added, and Modern Mills' commitment of SAR 150 million (USD 40 million) for a new Al-Jumum feed mill (422,000 metric tons annual capacity, commercial production targeted for Q4 2026) and Tanmiah's September 2025 inauguration of a 40 metric tons per hour automated mill reinforce demand for enzymes, amino acids, organic minerals, and precision-applied functional additives in high-throughput plants.

A second opportunity track centers on aquaculture and alternative-protein feed localization, where new inputs can change premix and additive formulations and reduce dependence on imported fishmeal and soy. In March 2026, Saudi Industrial Investment Group (SIIG) and Unibio announced a Jubail single-cell protein project (1.4 billion SAR, structured as an 80:20 joint venture) intended for aquaculture and broader feed markets, and Balady Poultry commissioned a new feed mill in March 2026 to deepen vertical integration. Against that backdrop, SFDA compliance requirements, including AFNR registration plus factory controls such as monitored mixing points and batch traceability, create a clear route for suppliers that can submit well-supported dossiers and back them with on-site quality support, particularly for higher-value probiotics, mycotoxin detoxifiers, and aquaculture functional ingredients that need strong technical substantiation.