TAM Group and Saudia Cargo complete landmark poultry shipment

Over 50,000 day-old “Guangming 2” white-feather broiler chicks were recently flown from Guangzhou to Riyadh aboard a Saudia Cargo Boeing 777 freighter, marking the breed’s first-ever arrival in Saudi Arabia. This milestone shipment underscores China’s advancements in poultry genetics and showcases the precision and capability of air cargo operators in handling complex, time-sensitive logistics.

First Guangming 2 arrival in Saudi Arabia

According to the Institute of Animal Sciences at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), the Riyadh delivery represents the debut of Guangming 2 in the Kingdom. The consignment involved two separate batches of chicks flown out of Guangzhou, with the operation led by TAM Group in close collaboration with Saudia Cargo.

This export marks a new phase for Guangming 2, which is one of the first nationally approved white-feather broiler breeds developed in China. Earlier consignments of the breed had been shipped to Pakistan and Tajikistan, but this was the first time the line reached Saudi Arabia.

CAAS reports that Guangming 2 benefits from the use of advanced breeding tools such as the “Jingxin 1” chip and intelligent phenotyping systems, which together have accelerated genetic progress. The breed has been promoted as competitive with international lines while offering improved muscle quality and production efficiency.

Partnership between TAM Group and Saudia Cargo

TAM Group, Saudia Cargo’s long-standing general sales and service agent (GSSA), coordinated the shipment alongside Saudia Cargo’s regional and head office teams. In its official announcement, TAM Group credited the close cooperation between its China team, Saudia Cargo, and airport ground handling agents for the success of the operation.

Saudia Cargo provided the long-haul freighter capacity with its B777 fleet, enabling the safe movement of the day-old chicks from China to Saudi Arabia. The company confirmed that the mission was completed on schedule, with strong collaboration across all touchpoints of the journey.

Strengthening China–Saudi agricultural links

The introduction of Guangming 2 into Riyadh is also viewed as a step forward in agricultural cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia. Officials and scientists at CAAS have highlighted the significance of the export, noting that it supports Saudi Arabia’s food-security goals while reinforcing China’s role in contributing to global agricultural supply chains.

The milestone reflects how agricultural science and air cargo logistics can combine to enable new trade flows between Asia and the Middle East. For Riyadh, it signals the arrival of a new poultry resource; for China, it marks another step in the internationalisation of its research and development outcomes.

Looking ahead

The Riyadh shipment is expected to pave the way for future exchanges of Guangming 2 and other Chinese agricultural innovations into Middle Eastern markets. With earlier shipments already completed to Pakistan and Tajikistan, the breed is gaining international visibility as a product of China’s national breeding programme.

For Saudia Cargo and TAM Group, the successful delivery reinforces their capacity to handle sensitive agricultural consignments and strengthens their position as trusted partners in specialised logistics.

The arrival of over fifty thousand Guangming 2 chicks in Riyadh represents a dual milestone: a scientific achievement in poultry genetics for China and a logistics success for Saudia Cargo and TAM Group. It is the first time this nationally approved breed has been introduced into Saudi Arabia, signalling new opportunities for agricultural cooperation and underscoring the critical role of air cargo in supporting food-supply resilience.