If you buy rice by the container for the Saudi market, we’d like to be on your list. We handle parboiled rice wholesale Saudi Arabia orders straight from Thai mills: long grain parboiled rice in 5%, 15% and 25% broken, sortexed, packed in 5 kg to 50 kg bags with Arabic and English labels, and shipped to Jeddah or Dammam. This page sets out what we sell, the specs, packing, documents, shipping and how pricing works.
Saudi Arabia eats a lot of rice, and parboiled rice wholesale Saudi Arabia trade is a steady part of that. Kabsa, mandi, madfoon and buriani all start with a big pot of it, and the volumes go up again during Ramadan, Hajj and Umrah. Most families reach for basmati, but parboiled long grain does a huge amount of quiet work in the background: in restaurants, catering kitchens, labour camps, hospitals and wholesale markets. That’s where our parboiled rice wholesale Saudi Arabia customers sell most of what we ship them.
Table of Contents
Who We Are
We’re De Thai Products 1989 Company Limited. We’ve exported Thai rice since 1989 and we work with milling and packing partners in Thailand’s central plains. Parboiled, white, jasmine and Hom Mali rice go from us to the Gulf, West and East Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific every month.
We sell direct from the mill side. For parboiled rice wholesale Saudi Arabia buyers, that means one point of contact for milling, sorting, bagging, inspection and booking, and nobody adding a margin in the middle.
What We Sell for the Saudi Market
| Grade | Broken grains | Typical use in Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| Parboiled 5% broken, sortexed | Max 5% | Retail brands, restaurants, hotels |
| Parboiled 15% broken | Max 15% | Catering contractors, wholesale markets |
| Parboiled 25% broken | Max 25% | Labour camps, institutions, budget lines |
| Parboiled 100% broken | All broken | Food processing, feed |
Each grade has its own page: Thai parboiled rice 5% broken, 15% broken, 25% broken and 100% broken. Most parboiled rice wholesale Saudi Arabia orders we see are for the 5% sortexed grade, because Saudi buyers are strict about colour and grain length.
We can also add white rice 5% broken, Thai Hom Mali rice or basmati rice to the same order. Everything we export is on our products page.
Specifications
Parboiled rice 5% broken, sortexed
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Grain type | Long grain parboiled, double polished, sortexed |
| Average grain length | 7.0 mm and up |
| Colour | Light golden or creamy, even |
| Broken grains | Max 5% |
| Moisture | Max 14% |
| Foreign matter | Max 0.1% |
| Damaged and discoloured grains | Max 0.5% |
| Chalky grains | Max 3% |
| Red and red-streaked grains | Max 0.5% |
| Paddy grains | Max 5 per kg |
| Crop | Current crop |
Parboiled rice 15% broken
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Broken grains | Max 15% |
| Moisture | Max 14% |
| Foreign matter | Max 0.5% |
| Damaged and discoloured grains | Max 1% |
| Chalky grains | Max 6% |
Parboiled rice 25% broken
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Broken grains | Max 25% |
| Moisture | Max 14% |
| Foreign matter | Max 0.5% |
| Damaged and discoloured grains | Max 2% |
| Chalky grains | Max 6% |
Grading follows the Thai rice standard and the Codex Alimentarius rice standard. If a contract or tender in the Kingdom comes with its own spec, send it over and we’ll go through it line by line. More on how we grade is on our rice standard page, and the 5% grade is explained in detail in our post on Thai parboiled rice 5% broken sortexed.
Golden or Creamy: Which Colour Sells in Saudi Arabia
Parboiled rice comes out of the steaming process in different shades. Heavier steaming gives a deeper golden grain. Lighter steaming gives a creamy, almost white grain. Saudi buyers are used to “sella” basmati, so many of them prefer the creamy look for retail and the golden look for catering, where it holds up in long cooking.
We can supply both. Tell us which your customers expect before we quote, because it changes how the paddy is processed. For a fuller comparison, our post on golden sella vs white sella parboiled rice shows the difference. Getting the colour right is half the battle in parboiled rice wholesale Saudi Arabia, so it’s worth settling early.
Why Thai Parboiled Works in Saudi Kitchens
Parboiling sets the starch inside the grain, so it cooks firm and stays separate. The parboiled rice article on Wikipedia explains the process if you’re curious. In practice, Saudi kitchens like it because:
- It holds up in big pots of kabsa and mandi without breaking
- It stays loose on a buffet line for hours
- It reheats well, which matters in catering
- It costs less per plate than premium basmati
- It keeps well in hot warehouses
That last point matters in the Kingdom. Warehouses in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam get very hot in summer, and parboiled rice handles heat better than white rice does. It’s one more reason parboiled rice wholesale Saudi Arabia demand stays steady through the year.
Packing and Labelling for Saudi Arabia
| Packing | Notes |
|---|---|
| 50 kg PP woven bags | Wholesale and catering |
| 40 kg and 25 kg bags | Restaurants and caterers |
| 10 kg and 5 kg bags | Retail, supermarkets, hypermarkets |
| 5 kg and 10 kg non-woven or BOPP | Retail shelf presentation |
| Private label | Your brand, Arabic and English text |
Saudi rules need food labels in Arabic. We print Arabic and English on every bag: product name, grade, net weight, country of origin, production and expiry dates, importer details and storage advice. Before we print, we send you a proof to check with your clearing agent. Labelling errors are one of the most common reasons parboiled rice wholesale Saudi Arabia shipments get held at the port, so we don’t rush this part.
Want more on bag options? Have a look at our guide to parboiled rice 50kg bag wholesale.
Shipping to Jeddah and Dammam
We load at Bangkok or Laem Chabang. Transit times depend on the line, but as a rough guide:
| Destination port | Typical transit |
|---|---|
| Jeddah Islamic Port | 18 to 28 days |
| King Abdulaziz Port, Dammam | 16 to 25 days |
| Riyadh via Dammam (dry port) | Add 2 to 4 days inland |
A 20ft container takes about 25 to 26 MT of bagged rice, and a 40ft takes about 26 to 27 MT because rice hits the weight limit before it fills the space. Our page on how many tons of rice fit in a 20ft container has the details. For parboiled rice wholesale Saudi Arabia buyers who move big volumes, we can also discuss bulk vessels.
You get the vessel name, routing and ETA before you pay the balance, and we let you know if anything moves.
Documents and Saudi Import Rules
Food imports into the Kingdom are overseen by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA). Rules get updated, so always confirm the current list with your clearing agent. With every shipment we provide:
- Commercial invoice
- Packing list
- Bill of lading
- Certificate of origin, legalised if required
- Phytosanitary certificate
- Fumigation certificate
- Certificate of analysis, quality and weight from an independent surveyor
- Health certificate
- Halal statement if your buyer asks for one
Rice itself is a plant product, but some buyers still want a halal certificate for the mill or packing plant. We can arrange it. Our page on being a halal certified rice supplier explains how. There’s also a general guide to rice export documents. Clean paperwork is a big part of what we offer on parboiled rice wholesale Saudi Arabia contracts.
How Pricing Works
We don’t publish a fixed price list for parboiled rice wholesale Saudi Arabia buyers. Thai rice prices move with the crop, the baht and freight, so we quote on the day and hold the price for an agreed period.
Your price depends on:
- The grade and colour you choose
- Bag size and whether it’s private label
- FOB Thailand or CFR Jeddah or Dammam
- Volume and how regularly you buy
If you want background before you ask, read our posts on the Thai parboiled rice 5% broken FOB price and FOB vs CIF rice price. The Thai Rice Exporters Association also posts weekly reference prices. For parboiled rice wholesale Saudi Arabia buyers who order every month, we can talk about pricing for a run of shipments.
Payment Terms
- 30% deposit by T/T, balance against a copy of the bill of lading
- Irrevocable L/C at sight from a bank we both accept
- For regular buyers, other terms by agreement
We write every contract on standard Incoterms rules, so it’s clear who pays for freight and insurance and when the risk passes.
Quality Control
Before your rice leaves Thailand:
- Paddy and milled rice are tested when they arrive at the mill
- Colour sorters remove dark, chalky and off-colour grains
- We test moisture, brokens and chalky grains on every lot
- An independent surveyor samples and seals at loading
- Containers are inspected for smell, damp and damage, then lined with kraft paper
- You get photos of the loading
Our quality control page goes into more detail. Saudi buyers check incoming rice closely, and the parboiled rice wholesale Saudi Arabia importers we keep are the ones who never get a surprise when they open a container.
Who Buys From Us in the Kingdom
Our parboiled rice wholesale Saudi Arabia customers are mostly:
- Importers and distributors in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam
- Catering contractors feeding workers, hospitals and schools
- Hajj and Umrah catering companies
- Restaurant groups and central kitchens
- Supermarket and hypermarket buyers with their own brands
- Food manufacturers
If you’re feeding thousands of people a day, have a look at our page on parboiled rice for catering companies too.
Planning Around Ramadan and Hajj
Rice demand in Saudi Arabia jumps before Ramadan and again before Hajj. Shelves empty fast, and freight gets tighter as everyone in the Gulf books at once. The buyers who do best order early. As a rule of thumb, place your parboiled rice wholesale Saudi Arabia order about two to three months before Ramadan starts, so the rice is cleared and in your warehouse before the rush.
Our post on the Thai rice harvest season also helps if you want to time purchases for better prices.
Storing Parboiled Rice in Saudi Heat
Heat and humidity near the coast can shorten rice life if it’s not stored well. A few simple habits help:
- Keep stock off the floor on pallets
- Keep the warehouse cool and shaded if you can
- Leave room for air to move around stacks
- Use first in, first out
- Check for insects every couple of weeks in summer
Kept properly, the parboiled rice wholesale Saudi Arabia customers buy from us lasts up to 24 months from milling. Ask for the milling date on each lot so you can plan your stock rotation.
Private Label for Saudi Brands
If you run your own rice brand, we can print it. We handle Arabic artwork, check the right-to-left text carefully and send a print proof before anything goes to the press. Minimum is usually one full container per design. Allow about two to three weeks for printed bags. For many parboiled rice wholesale Saudi Arabia customers, private label is the main reason they work with a mill-side exporter in the first place.
Samples and a Trial Order
We don’t expect anyone new to parboiled rice wholesale Saudi Arabia supply with us to buy on our word. Ask for 1 to 2 kg samples of each grade you’re interested in and we’ll courier them. Cook them next to the rice you sell now, in your own kitchen, the way your customers cook it. If it passes, start with one or two containers. Most of our Gulf buyers started exactly like that.
Working Out Your Landed Cost
A price per ton FOB Bangkok doesn’t tell you what a bag costs on your shelf in Riyadh. Before you compare offers for parboiled rice wholesale Saudi Arabia supply, add up:
- FOB price per ton
- Ocean freight to Jeddah or Dammam
- Insurance
- Customs duty and VAT
- Port charges and clearing agent fees
- SFDA and inspection costs
- Trucking to your warehouse
- Storage, finance and your margin
Divide that by the number of bags and you have your real cost. When we quote CFR, freight is already in. We’re happy to walk through the numbers with you on a call, and many parboiled rice wholesale Saudi Arabia buyers find a cheap FOB offer isn’t so cheap once everything is added.
What a Serious Supplier Should Send You
The rice trade has its share of people who sell from a phone with no mill behind them. Before you pay a deposit for parboiled rice wholesale Saudi Arabia supply, any seller should be happy to give you:
- A written spec sheet for the exact grade
- Recent photos and video of the rice and bags
- Couriered samples, not just pictures
- A company name and registration you can check
- An independent surveyor at loading
- A contract with Incoterms, quantities and dates
If they hesitate on any of these, move on. We’d rather you check us properly than trust us blindly.
Common Problems at Saudi Ports
From what we’ve seen over the years, these are the things that slow parboiled rice wholesale Saudi Arabia shipments down:
- Arabic labels with missing or wrong details
- Expiry dates that don’t match the certificates
- Weights on the invoice that don’t match the bill of lading
- Original documents arriving after the ship
- Damp in the container from poor lining
We check every document against the others before we send anything, courier originals early and line every container with kraft paper. It sounds basic. It’s also what keeps your rice moving through the port instead of sitting there.
A Cooking Test Before You Commit
Lab sheets are useful, but your customers don’t eat lab sheets. Cook the samples in your own pot, with your own spices, the way kabsa or mandi is made in your market. Then check: do the grains stay long and separate, does the colour stay even, and does the rice still look good after an hour on a hot buffet? If it does, it’ll sell. If it goes soft or sticky, no price makes it worth it. We encourage every parboiled rice wholesale Saudi Arabia buyer to run this test, with our rice and with anyone else’s.
How We Compare With Other Origins
Saudi importers can buy parboiled rice from India, Pakistan, Vietnam and Thailand. Each has its place. Thai parboiled usually costs a little more than some origins, but you get:
- A longer, more even grain
- Steady colour from one lot to the next
- Fewer chalky and damaged grains
- A clean, well-sorted look in the bag
If your brand sells on appearance, that consistency is worth paying for. Our post on Thai rice vs Vietnamese rice goes through some of the differences.
Mixed Containers
You don’t have to fill a whole container with one grade. We can mix parboiled 5% with white rice, jasmine or Hom Mali in one box. It’s useful for distributors who supply several types of customer, or for trying a new line before committing. Plenty of parboiled rice wholesale Saudi Arabia buyers start with a mixed box.
Why Buyers Choose Us for Parboiled Rice Wholesale Saudi Arabia
- More than 35 years in rice export
- Direct mill access, so no middleman margin
- Fixed specs, checked and certified on every lot
- Arabic and English labels done properly
- Halal paperwork when you need it
- Fast replies on WhatsApp and email
- Straight answers when there’s a delay
You can read more on our about us page, or see our page as a white rice supplier for Saudi Arabia.
7 Proven Tips for Parboiled Rice Wholesale Saudi Arabia Buyers
- Decide on colour first. Creamy or golden changes what you’ll get.
- Check the label with your agent before printing. Arabic text errors cost time at the port.
- Order early for Ramadan and Hajj. Freight and stock both get tight.
- Compare like with like. Don’t put an FOB quote next to a CFR quote.
- Cook samples the way your customers do. A lab sheet doesn’t tell you how kabsa turns out.
- Ask for the milling date. Fresh stock sells and stores better.
- Stay with one steady supplier. Switching often makes your brand inconsistent.
How to Order
- Send us the grade, colour, bag size, quantity and port
- We send a price, spec sheet and loading date
- We agree terms and sign the contract
- You pay the deposit or open the L/C
- We mill, sort, pack and book the container
- The surveyor inspects and we load
- We send documents and track the ship
- You clear the rice in Jeddah or Dammam
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the minimum order for parboiled rice wholesale Saudi Arabia shipments?
One 20ft container, about 25 MT. Mixed containers are fine.
Do you print Arabic labels for parboiled rice wholesale Saudi Arabia orders?
Yes, Arabic and English on all bag sizes, with a proof sent to you first.
Can you ship to Riyadh?
We ship to Dammam or Jeddah and your agent can move it inland. Some lines offer through bills to the Riyadh dry port.
Can you provide a halal certificate?
Yes, on request.
How long does the rice keep?
Up to 24 months in good storage from the milling date.
Get a Quote for Parboiled Rice Wholesale Saudi Arabia
Send us the grade, colour, bag, quantity and port. We’ll reply with a firm price, a spec sheet and a loading window, usually within one working day. If you’d rather see the rice first, ask for samples.
Email info@dethairice.com, WhatsApp +66 81 034 6390, or use our contact page. You might also like our main guide as a Thai parboiled rice exporter, our page on buying parboiled rice in bulk and our jasmine rice supplier Dubai guide.
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