The UAE’s Al Ghurair Group has won approval from Egypt’s cabinet for the allocation of land for the construction of a new sugar factory in the Minya governorate in Upper Egypt.
The Egyptian minister of industry, foreign trade and small business Monir Fakhry Abdel Nour yesterday said that 60,702 hectares of land had been provided for the new plant, which is expected to commence production in 2017.
The total investment for the new factory will be US$370 million excluding 2.5 billion Egyptian pounds (Dh1.28bn) for land reclamation, Bloomberg News reported.
The new plant – announced this year – will be able to produce a total of 400,000 tonnes of refined sugar per year.
Al Ghurair, which also has interests in property, retail and metals, first announced plans to construct a sugar factory in the country in early 2013.
News of the land approval for the project comes two months after the UAE-based agricultural companies Al Dahra and Jenaan announced an ambitious plan to grow wheat in Egypt’s southern desert, in an attempt to curb the country’s reliance on wheat imports.
The plan seeks to resurrect the former president Hosni Mubarak’s Toshka agricultural mega-project, launched in 1997, widely regarded as a failure.
The project is due to produce its first harvest in 2016.
Egypt is the world’s largest importer of wheat, buying in about 10 million tonnes of the cereal per year.
jeverington@thenational.ae
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Day 3 stumps
New Zealand 153 & 249
Pakistan 227 & 37-0 (target 176)
Pakistan require another 139 runs with 10 wickets remaining
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2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
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Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
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Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
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Ambition: To create awareness among young about people with disabilities and make the world a more inclusive place
Job Title: Human resources administrator, Expo 2020 Dubai
First jobs: Co-ordinator with Magrudy Enterprises; HR coordinator at Jumeirah Group
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Favourite travel destination: Germany and Saudi Arabia
Family: Six sisters
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