Almarai signs five seafood agreements as it advances sector entry

SAUDI ARABIA – Almarai has taken another step toward entering the seafood business after announcing the signing of five agreements during its participation in the 5th Fisheries Conference in January 2026.

According to the company, the agreements relate to seafood operations and form part of a broader plan to develop supply chains, production capacity, and distribution for fish and seafood products.

The announcement follows a decision made several years earlier, which provides context for the company’s current activities in the fisheries space.

Background to the seafood investment

In June 2022, Almarai’s board approved a plan to enter the seafood category with an initial capital allocation of 252 million Saudi riyals, equivalent to US$67.2 million (252 million Saudi riyals).

At the same board meeting, directors also authorized an additional 153 million Saudi riyals, or US$40.8 million (153 million Saudi riyals), to expand investments in parent poultry bird facilities.

The company said the seafood plan involved building industrial facilities dedicated to processing fish and producing value-added seafood items for the domestic market.

Financing for the seafood facilities was expected to come from Almarai’s operating cash flows, subject to receiving approvals from relevant regulatory authorities.

At the time, Almarai chief executive Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Badr stated that the seafood initiative was intended to widen the company’s product range and align with national food security objectives.

He explained that the separate investment in parent poultry birds was designed to address the risk of supply shortages in parent stock within Saudi Arabia.

Al-Badr added that once further capital was deployed, the parent bird facilities would also be used for hatching egg production linked to planned poultry capacity increases.

Link to current agreements

While Almarai did not disclose financial details of the five agreements signed at the Fisheries Conference, it said they fit within the previously approved seafood strategy.

The company indicated that the agreements cover areas connected to seafood production, processing, and operational development.

These steps suggest that Almarai is moving from planning into execution nearly four years after its board first approved entry into the seafood segment.

The company also linked both the seafood and poultry investments to its stated goal of maintaining stable food supplies in the Saudi market.

Almarai did not provide a timeline for when seafood products from the new facilities are expected to reach consumers.

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