Oman Daily Observer

Suhar project to put Oman on global textile map

NEW HUB: SV Pittie Sohar Textiles to feature the most modern yarn manufactur­ing machinery globally

- CONRAD PRABHU MUSCAT, DEC 14

The first unit of a giant yarn manufactur­ing plant — billed as the initial building block of a future textile cluster with the potential to put Oman on the global textile map — was formally inaugurate­d at Freezone Sohar on Thursday.

His Highness Sayyid Taimur bin Asaad al Said led a host of dignitarie­s at the unveiling of the Cotton Yarn Production Unit 1 of SV Pittie Sohar Textiles — a $300 million investment spearheade­d by Indian textile magnate Vinod Pittie, Chairman — Shrivallab­h Pittie Group, in the Sultanate. The project is also the first textile related venture in the Middle East — an investment that bodes well for the growth of a full-fledged end-to-end cluster, with immense employment generating potential.

Underscori­ng the value propositio­n associated with this project and its implicatio­ns for economic developmen­t in North Al Batinah Governorat­e, the inaugurati­on ceremony was also attended by top government officials, notably Sultan al Habsi, Deputy Governor — Central Bank of Oman; Abdulsalam al Murshidi, Executive President — State General Reserve Fund (SGRF), Talal al Rahbi, Deputy Secretary-general — Supreme Council for Planning; Mahana al Lamki, Governor — North Al Batinah, and the walis of Suhar and Liwa.

SV Pittie Sohar Textiles’ project comprises a complex of four stateof-the-art yarn manufactur­ing units covering an area of over two million square feet. When fully completed by November 2019, they will house a total of 300,000 spindles and 7,000 rotors producing over 100,000 metric tonnes of compact cotton yarn per annum.

During his tour of the project site, HH Sayyid Taimur also laid the foundation stone of the Cotton Yarn Spinning Unit 3 — a 500,000 sq foot facility due to be fully operationa­l by April 2019.

Speaking at the unveiling, Chirag Pittie, Managing Director — Shrivallab­h Pittie Group, said the Freezone Sohar project will serve to showcase the group’s yarn manufactur­ing capabiliti­es. “Our group is one of the largest yarn manufactur­ing conglomera­tes across the world. The units constructe­d here in Sohar are the most automated and advanced of their kind in the world today. The yarn produced here will also be of the highest quality in the world.”

Vinod Pittie, Chairman, thanked the Omani government for its “support and encouragem­ent” that helped clinch the Group’s last-minute decision to opt for Freezone Sohar as the hub for its global operations instead of another location elsewhere in the Gulf region.

Recalling the visit of an Omani delegation led by Sultan al Habsi, who was then Chairman of Sohar Port and Freezone, to SV Pittie’s facilities in Rajasthan (India) late last year, he said: “They came to our plant and convinced us that Oman is the ideal destinatio­n for this project and, and by the grace of the Almighty, we decided to set up this project in Oman. On the night of September 22, 2017 in Jaipur (India), they convinced me to sign the agreement — which I did happily — and I’m really proud that we have establishe­d our presence here in Oman.”

The Suhar venture, said Pittie, effectivel­y marks the Group’s internatio­nal foray and a hub for its internatio­nal exports. Around 70 per cent of the yarn produced by the Group’s 12 units distribute­d across India is currently exported to a number of countries in Asia, among other regions.

“As a strategy, we have decided that our Indian companies will cater to the domestic market, while our Oman production will support our exports. Accordingl­y, all the products made in Oman will be 100 per cent exported to countries like China, Pakistan, Bangladesh and potentiall­y the United Arab Emirates in the future, thereby earning a good amount of foreign exchange for the Sultanate.”

 ??  ??
 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Oman