More than 90,000MT of raw sugar received for refining

Sohar: In a major step towards food security, the Sultanate's first sugar refinery has received raw sugar weighing more than 90,000 metric tonnes.

It is a strategic move aimed at diversification of the national economy.

This shipment marks the beginning of a new phase of expansion in food manufacturing operations, which will contribute to providing promising opportunities in training and employment, particularly for new graduates and local technical personnel, in addition to supporting the local supply chain and developing industrial skills.

Nasser bin Ali Al Hosni, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Sugar Refinery, said that the refinery is the first of its kind in the Middle East, covering an area of 180,000 square metres in the Sohar Industrial Port.

It is equipped with the latest technology and has a production capacity of up to one million tonnes of high-quality refined white sugar annually.

The production will serve local, regional, and export markets.

He added that the first shipment from Brazil, with a total weight of more than 90,000 metric tonnes, is currently being unloaded directly into the refinery's warehouses using automated mobile cranes and high-speed weighing and conveying systems.

He pointed out that the warehouses' storage capacity amounts to more than 500,000 metric tonnes of raw sugar and 70,000 metric tonnes of refined white sugar in an integrated automated storage facility.

He stressed that, after the completion of construction work, the refinery was able to connect its gas supplies from the OQ Group, enabling the start of operations.

This achievement represents a pivotal step in the trial operation phase.

He explained that sugar smelting operations are scheduled to begin this August, in preparation for the launch of commercial white sugar production next September.

The Chairman of the Sugar Refinery's Board of Directors emphasised that the receipt of the first shipment of raw sugar comes within the framework of enhancing self-sufficiency and relying on renewable resources and advanced technologies, thus contributing to supporting food security.