The Economic Dimension of Saudi Arabia’s Strategy to Minimize the Value of Honey Imports

Given the high average import price of honey, which reached 4.13 thousand USD per ton during the period 2019–2023, this study aims to develop a strategy for reducing the value of Saudi Arabia’s honey imports using linear programming. The results indicate that global honey exports amounted to 998.94 thousand tons, valued at 2,541.6 million USD, while global imports reached 823.41 thousand tons, valued at 2,354.2 million USD in 2024. By calculating the geographical concentration coefficient for both the quantity and value of honey imports, the coefficients were estimated at 31.34% and 30.76%, respectively, over the study period, indicating a high degree of diversification in honey import sources during 2019–2023. Under the objective of importing the same quantity of honey 19.71 thousand tons at a lower cost, four alternative models were developed to reduce the value of Saudi Arabia’s honey imports. A comparison of the proposed models reveals that the first model is associated with higher risk due to its reliance on imports from only China and Thailand. In contrast, the remaining models (the second, third, and fourth) achieve reductions in import value of 24.96%, 32.78%, and 32.87%, respectively. The study ultimately recommends that the Ministry of Commerce restructure the geographical distribution of honey imports to reduce the overall value of Saudi imports and consequently lower the average import price of honey from 4.13 thousand USD per ton to 2.77 thousand USD per ton. Such a reduction in import prices would be reflected in retail prices, thereby making honey more affordable for low-income consumers.