MANAMA: Ground has been broken on a BD3 million food factory that wants to take Bahraini halwa to international markets.

Miyar Food Factory, promoted by the owners of Jamal Showaiter Sweets Company, will produce, process and package a wide range of household food products including Bahraini traditional halwa, Arabic sweets and coffee, spices, pulses, nuts, dry fruits, grains and pickles.

The factory, set to open in 2020 in Bahrain International Investment Park, is planning to sell its products in Bahrain as well as other GCC countries.

A company official said 60 jobs will be created in the first year of operations, of which at least 20 per cent will be filled by Bahrainis.

A ceremony to mark the ground-breaking and laying of the foundation stone was held on site yesterday under the patronage of Industry, Commerce and Tourism Minister Zayed Alzayani.

Deputising for the minister, assistant under-secretary for industrial areas and companies Khalid Rabeea Hussain said “Bahrain is distinguished by its strong and talented workforce, which is capable of competing in the regional markets, and the Miyar factory is a good example of this. The ministry supports Bahraini companies looking to expand their business across the region.

“The ministry’s policy is to provide investors with best facilities and incentives and to create the right environment for investment to support the expansion and spread of this kind of activities and other industrial activities, which is contributing to the diversification of national income in the kingdom.”

The SME sector is one of the main sectors in Bahrain that contributes to economic growth and job creation.

The ministry has set up a package of incentives and total support to help develop and grow this sector and enable it to gain its share in the export market.

GDN reported in April that Bahrain Development Bank (BDB) is financing the Miyar Food Factory with BD1m under BDB-Tamkeen Tamweel Plus scheme to cover part of the project cost and a further BD350,000 to meet the company’s working capital requirements.

“I am very pleased that BDB and Tamkeen could support Miyar to set up this factory which in addition to other products will also produce Bahraini halwa – a traditional product the recipe for which have been passed from one generation to another. It is indeed heartening to see successful businesses built by Bahraini entrepreneurs through their hard work, determination and strong business acumen,” BDB group chief executive Sanjeev Paul said.

avinash@gdn.com.bh

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