The total world output of sunflower oil is expected reach approximately 60 million tons towards the end of 2050, said a report from the Food and Agriculture Organization.

Contributing to this growth, Mazola has been at the forefront of sunflower oil production in the GCC, said Kevin Baxter, deputy president of Basateen Foods Saudi Arabia – the brand owners of Mazola in the Mena region.

In 2013, the number of factories operating in this region increased from 24 in 2003 to 37 in 2013, cumulative investments in this sector increased from $278.6 million to approximately $646 million for the same period of time as well as per recent news revealed by the Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting.

The industry is at an all-time high and Saudi Arabia was ranked first with cumulative investments of $285 million, 44.1 per cent of the total GCC investments in this industry. This sector in Saudi Arabia employed 2415 workers and achieved 59.5 per cent of the total GCC design capacity.

The UAE was ranked second with 11 factories and cumulative investments worth $225.4 million (39 per cent), a labour force of 2343 workers (42.2 per cent) and 29.1 per cent of the total GCC oils and fats design capacity. Thus, Saudi Arabia and UAE shared about 88.6 per cent of the total vegetable and animal oils and fats design capacity in GCC countries.

To expand the sunflower world’s value chain, a lot of scientific and agro-technological work needs to be put in for the next 20 years, said Baxter.

“Despite all challenges we face in the production of sunflower oil, Mazola continues to deliver high quality sunflower oil across the GCC markets. And our Product of The Year Award is a testimony to our hard work,” he added.

Mazola has recently made a multimillion-dollar investment in the development of its new factory, which will further increase the brands capacity and enhance its development of products.

In addition to a new refinery in 2015, Mazola has purchased additional high speed filling lines from the top manufacturer in France along with advanced bottle making equipment from Japan.

“The demand for our products has been growing and it is important to ensure that these demands are met, that’s why we’re taking all steps necessary to further enhance our production and efficiency to cater to the growing demand,” Baxter added. – TradeArabia News Service