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Saubi Arabia
Saudi Arabia increased its meat production by almost 45% between 1995 and 2005. It is the biggest poultry producer in the Gulf region, but its growing population is outpacing its food supply, and the country is a major importer of halal meat from the US, Europe and New Zealand. Saudi Arabia exports a lot of live poultry, while importing half of its large poultry meat consumption of 40kg per capita. This is de to the fact that Saudi consumers prefer fatter poultry produced abroad, and live poultry sale is forbidden by law.
Sources: Halal Research Council, FAO
Government agencies
Ministry of Agriculture www.agrwat.gov.sa
Ministry of Health www.moh.gov.sa
Approximate meat production (source: FAO, 2009)
Goat meat: 14,063 MT
Cattle meat: 22,647 MT
Chicken meat: 568,351 MT
Camel meat: 33,738 MT
Sheep meat: 42,750 MT
Approximate production value (source: FAO, 2009)
Goat meat: $33.7m
Cattle meat: $61.2m
Chicken meat: $809.6m
Camel meat: $70.7m
Sheep meat: $116.4m
World rank (source: FAO, 2009)
n3 producer of camel meat
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