Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi’s agribusiness leader Al Dahra Holding and Abu Dhabi Ports on Tuesday launched the Gulf region’s largest and only rice processing plant of its kind at Khalifa Industrial Zone (Kizad), to produce up to 120,000 metric tonnes of rice per annum with 40 silos each boasting a capacity of 750 tonnes.
Owned by Al Dahra Kohinoor, a subsidiary of Al Dahra Holding, the factory spans a total area of 100,106 square metres at Kizad and will be handling milling, storage, packaging as well as distribution within the UAE and exporting to foreign markets via the adjacent Khalifa Port.
The largest in the region and the only factory of its kind that utilises the full automation of rice production, the Dh140-million facility features storage facilities with a capacity of 8,000 tonnes, a processing unit, in addition to administrative offices and support facilities. Moreover, the company aims to create a strategic rice reserve in Abu Dhabi of about 30,000 metric tonnes, Al Dhahra Holding and Abu Dhabi Ports said in a joint statement.
The factory will benefit from a vertically integrated supply chain that guarantees the sourcing of the finest quality Basmati and non-Basmati rice from India and Pakistan.
“Al Dahra Kohinoor will benefit greatly from its strategic location at Kizad and proximity to Khalifa Port, which will help it sustain the supply of high quality products to customers [at] affordable prices. Al Dahra Kohinoor strategically supports the vision of our wise leadership to achieve food security in Abu Dhabi, which reflects our commitment to boosting the industrial sector in order to diversify the economy in line with Abu Dhabi’s strategic plan for economic development,” said Khadim Abdulla Al Darei, vice-chairman and managing director of Al Dahra Holding.
Al Dahra Holding is specialised in the cultivation, production and trading of animal feed and essential human food commodities such as rice, flour, fruits and vegetables. The group owns and operates a large asset base including a land bank of 200 thousand acres, eight forage-pressing and production plants, four rice-milling plants and two flour-milling plants.
