Al-Barakah Dates in Dubai said that it will be expanding its existing facility to become world’s biggest privately-owned date factory.
The expansion will span a total of 600,000 square feet facility, which is double the company’s existing site. The upgrade is expected to be ready by early 2022, and the new factory can process more than 100,000 tons of dates and date products annually, which more than half of UAE’s entire domestic harvest.
Located at the Dubai Industrial City, the facility will be equipped with 6500 solar panels to offset 3000 tons carbon emissions annually.
Increasing demand for healthier sugar alternatives has also helped in boosting the date industry, apart from modern food technology which allowed dates to compete with other healthy options.
Today, the traditional date has been transformed into various ingredients that serve as an alternative to direct sugar, including syrups, pastes, and date sugars, pointed out Yousuf Saleem, Managing Director, Al-Barakah Dates.
The expansion would also add to the national food security efforts made by the UAE said Saud Abu Al-Shawareb, Dubai Industrial City.
