# Saudi International Food Exhibition Welcomes Guanqun Aquaculture, Exploring Collaboration Opportunities

On September 21, 2025, the Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center in Saudi Arabia will host the 41st Saudi International Agriculture, Food, Packaging, and Aquaculture Exhibition (Saudi Agriculture). As the largest agriculture and food trade show in the Middle East, this year’s event is expected to attract over 500 exhibitors from around the globe, spanning the entire industry chain—from food production and processing technologies to cold-chain logistics. At this prestigious international gathering, Nantong Guanqun Aquatic Products Food Co., Ltd. from Jiangsu, China, will showcase its core products, engaging in in-depth discussions with businesses from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to explore new opportunities for Sino-Saudi aquaculture trade and industrial collaboration.

## Saudi Market: Driven by High Growth and Diversifying Demand

The Saudi food consumption market is experiencing explosive growth. According to Statista's forecast, by 2027, the GCC countries—Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar—are expected to reach food consumption levels of 56.2 million metric tons, with Saudi Arabia, as the region's largest end-market, accounting for nearly 40% of that share. Behind this remarkable expansion lies the economic diversification strategy driven by Saudi Arabia's "Vision 2030"—a government initiative aimed at creating 200,000 jobs through the aquaculture industry, while simultaneously striving to produce 600,000 tons of fish annually, thereby reducing reliance on imported food products.

Saudi consumers show a particularly strong demand for high-quality seafood products. In local supermarkets, imported items like Norwegian salmon and Chilean white shrimp have long dominated the premium shelves, while locally farmed tilapia and grouper struggle to meet the needs of the hospitality industry due to inconsistent supply. This imbalance between supply and demand presents a valuable entry point for international suppliers. For instance, Tianjin Food Supply Chain Group, through its Saudi office, has successfully introduced Arctic Circle salmon and Antarctic krill to the local market, achieving sales exceeding 1.5 billion RMB in 2024—demonstrating the significant potential of premium seafood in the Middle East.

## Guanqun Aquaculture: From Regional Leader to Global Market Pioneering

Nantong Guanqun Aquatic Food Co., Ltd. was established in 2000 and is a leading aquatic product processing enterprise in Rudong County, Jiangsu Province. Its core business includes the repackaging of dried aquatic products, the production of flavored cooked aquatic products, and the manufacturing of mechanical components for laver (seaweed) processing equipment. The company holds six trademarks, including "Guanqun" and "Jinshanwu," and its products are exported to countries such as the United States, Thailand, and Brazil. In 2023, the company achieved an A-level tax rating. Although it remains a micro-sized enterprise with just 13 employees, Guanqun has carved out a competitive edge in niche markets like seasoned seaweed snacks and roasted seaweed through its "small but exquisite" business strategy.

This time at the exhibition, Guanqun Aquatic Products will focus on showcasing three major product lines:

1. **Ready-to-Eat Seasoned Seaweed**: Designed for Saudi household consumption, this product features low-salt and mildly spicy flavors, perfectly aligning with local dietary preferences.

2. **Frozen Cooked Shrimp**: Utilizing -18°C quick-freezing technology to preserve the freshness of Antarctic krill, directly supplied to Saudi Arabian chain restaurant brands;

3. **Seaweed Processing Machinery Components**: Showcasing our independently developed automated slicing equipment, helping Saudi enterprises enhance their production efficiency.

Company General Manager Huang Haixiang stated: "The Saudi market has an urgent demand for standardized, traceable seafood products, and our HACCP-certified production line and cold-chain logistics capabilities are perfectly positioned to fill this gap."

## China-Saudi Cooperation: Technology Empowerment and Industrial Chain Synergy

Cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia in the aquaculture sector has entered a substantive phase. At the 2023 China-Saudi Investment Conference, Saudi National Fisheries Development Group (Naqua) reached agreements with more than 60 Chinese enterprises to jointly build 10 smart aquaculture facilities along the Red Sea coast, introducing China's advanced Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) technology. This collaborative model could serve as a valuable reference for Guanqun Aquatic Products—specifically, the low-temperature thawing and vacuum-packaging technologies used at its Rudong factory, which have helped Saudi companies reduce seafood spoilage rates from 30% down to below 8%.

Additionally, Saudi Arabia is experiencing a surge in demand for food processing machinery. At the 2024 Saudi International Marine Equipment & Fisheries Exhibition (SIMEC), Chinese exhibitors secured contracts worth over $200 million for equipment such as automated shelling machines and intelligent sorting lines. This time, Guanqun Aquatic Products brought along seaweed-processing accessories that, if produced in collaboration with local Saudi companies, are expected to reduce equipment import costs by up to 40%.

## Challenges and Opportunities Coexist

Despite the promising outlook, Chinese enterprises still need to overcome three major hurdles to enter the Saudi market:

1. **Certification Barriers**: Saudi Arabia requires imported food products to meet SFDA (Saudi Food and Drug Authority) standards. Guanguan Aquaculture must complete Halal certification and register with the Saudi Standards, Metrology, and Quality Organization (SASO) within 3 months.

2. **Cultural Adaptation**: Saudi households allocate 65% of their food budget to groceries, prompting Guanqun to adjust product specifications—such as introducing a smaller 50-gram pack of seaweed—and develop packaging in Arabic.

3. **Logistics Costs**: Currently, the cold-chain transportation from China to Saudi Arabia takes 12–15 days. Guanqun plans to collaborate with Tianjin Food Supply Chain Group, leveraging the latter’s Dongjiang Free Trade Zone warehouse to implement a combined “sea freight + air freight” solution, reducing transit time to just 8 days.

## Conclusion: The Win-Win Path of the Blue Economy

The Saudi International Food Exhibition is not only a platform for commodity trading, but also a catalyst for China-Saudi industrial cooperation. Guanqun Aquatic Products' participation marks the entry of Chinese seafood companies into a new phase of…