UAE's 'Freshly Milled Oats' Serves As A Strategic Location For Key Markets Across The Sub- Continent And MENA Region.

Online, March 25, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Al Ghurair Foods, the leading Middle East foods manufacturer which recently unveiled the region's first-of-its-kind factory for freshly-milled oats has quickly paced itself in expansion plans across the MENA region.

With an annual milling capacity of 33,000 tons, in addition to ensuring the region's food security, the state-of-the-art facility falls in line with the company's commitment to provide high quality healthy products.

Ibrahim Al Ghurair, Director and Head of Oats Business Unit said, "The 6000 square meters plant comes to serve the rising demand from different industries on freshly manufactured oats. The new Oats facility is a valuable addition to Al Ghurair Foods' series of milestones, standing as the region's first of its kind, next to a huge flour plant with a daily 5,000 tons capacity and the Middle East's largest oil refinery."

"We continue to witness steady demand growth on our products in the Middle East, Sub-continent (India, Srilanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh etc) and African markets. Till date, oats were being imported to the Middle-East and the sub-continent with a lead time of at least 5 to 6 weeks. But now, due to our strategic location and close proximity to the sub-continent and Africa, the lead time has drastically reduced to a few days".

"With the growing demand for the multiple-usage of Oats around the world, our healthy product will be used in several other industries. "Food manufacturers especially across the MENA region as well as the sub-continent will no longer need to import oats in bulk from international markets in Europe, Australia and Canada, as this premium facility will be able to attend to all their requirements" elaborated Ibrahim Al Ghurair.

"The new facility not only serves the UAE, as a key international trading hub and the world's third largest re-exporter of agricultural products, but also the wider GCC region, the Sub- continent and the African market and we are proud to be a major contributor to local and regional economies around the world", he added.

According to him, this facility will generate a significant ripple effect, adding value to the operations of numerous wholesalers, manufacturers, retailers and other entities in the food services industry at both local and regional levels.

"The new freshly-milled oats plant, will ensure shorter lead times and flexibility of production according to customers' needs. Oats produced in the UAE will be distributed across the MENA region and the sub-continent to service the high demand across numerous industries including healthcare and food services," he indicated.

"The facility is far beyond a great economic contribution that spreads out from the UAE to the region, it is also a provider of a very healthy product with proven health benefits that help address several of the health issues not only prevalent in the UAE but across the world over, including obesity and abnormal cholesterol levels which are generating worrying rates of diabetes and heart diseases," he added.

The region's giant player in the food sector has been implementing numerous projects by enhancing its capacity to ensure sufficient food security in the UAE and the region, in addition to encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle within the region.

About Al Ghurair Foods
Al Ghurair Foods entered the foods industry sector in 1976 through the creation of National Flour Mills. Since that time, a diversified portfolio of food products has been developed through a regionally proactive and forward thinking participation. Growing from a small flour mill to a technologically advanced, multi- product manufacturing enterprise, Al Ghurair Foods' market presence has grown to over 50 countries with a customer base in 4 continents. Jenan is the key brand offering products in various categories that include Flour, Pasta, Edible Oils, Noodles, Poultry, Oats, Pulses, Maize and Rice.