SOHAR has taken another step towards diversifying its business offering and creating a world-class hub for handling agricultural goods, with a stand at the Gulfood Manufacturing Exhibition in Dubai set to engage industry leaders and attract investment according to Executive Commercial Manager, Edwin Lammers.

Having recently announced that Atyab Investment and Oman Flour Mills will build Oman’s first terminal dedicated to grain and other foodstuffs at SOHAR, there are plans for grain silos with a capacity of around 200,000 tonnes, and a sugar refinery that is projected to generate 1 million tonnes in raw sugar imports.

“The importing of vegetables, animal products, and foodstuffs into Oman are worth US$2.7 billion to the economy and with our new agricultural terminal, storage facilities, and transport links, SOHAR is perfectly positioned to become a distribution centre for these products in the Gulf region,” explained Mr. Lammers.

“As we build this infrastructure, projects like the sugar refinery will create opportunities for other industries and we have already had several enquiries from food manufacturers interested in taking advantage of this growth. Our presence at the Gulfood Manufacturing Exhibition will help leverage this interest further”.

Construction work on the sugar refinery complex, also a first for Oman, will begin at the end of the year after an agreement was signed with Oman Sugar Refinery Company LLC in April last year. Under the deal, SOHAR will lease 180,000 square metres of prime waterfront area for the development of the plant. Output is initially envisaged at 700,000 tonnes in the first phase, with full capacity to be reached in three years.

Together with the agricultural terminal and grain storage facilities, this project will take advantage of the excellent facilities provided by the strategically located Port, which include a deep water port an abundance of low-cost energy, and available space on the Freezone. Commercial sugar production is targeted by 2016.