Construction of a sugar refinery — the first of its kind in Oman – at Sohar Port and Freezone will commence around mid-year, while work on a large-scale food processing cluster in the zone will kick off before the year-end, a report said.

Initial groundwork on the sugar refinery project will commence shortly, followed by the development of a food processing cluster backed by a leading UAE promoter, Oman Observer reported.

“The Oman Sugar Refinery project will now commence piling operations with a view to starting construction in the middle of the year,” Robert Bartstra, Executive Commercial Manager – Sohar Port and Freezone, was quoted as saying in the report.

Oman Sugar Refinery Company (OSRC), backed by a Tanzanian-based Omani investor, had signed an agreement for the establishment of a state-of-the-art refinery on a waterfront site within the port.

Plans envisage a capacity of 700,000 tonnes per annum of refined sugar in the first phase, eventually ramping up to 1 million tonnes per annum in Phase 2.

The Sohar Food Cluster Company, which will be located in between the Sohar Flour Mills and the Sugar Refinery, is expected to start their construction by end-2021, said Bartstra.

The dedicated food processing cluster project is being spearheaded by Essa Al Ghurair Investments (AGI), a prominent UAE business conglomerate. Its proximity to the flour mill and sugar refinery will enable Sohar Food Cluster Company to focus on the development of value chains in the food sector.