Al Khaleej Sugar, one of the largest sugar refineries in the Middle East, is running at 70% capacity as the region grapples with overcapacity, according to the company’s managing director, Jamal al-Ghurair. On Tuesday at the Sugar Conference, he highlighted the challenges faced by refineries across the region.
“In the whole region, the refineries are operating below their capacity, since there is a 60-70% overcapacity in the Middle East. Some refineries are operating at 30-40% capacity,” Al Ghurair told reporters during the event.
Al Khaleej Sugar operates the world’s largest port-based sugar refinery, playing a key role in the industry.
Speaking about India’s export permission, he said that India’s return to the global market as an exporter was weighing on sugar prices in the Middle East, reported Reuters.
“India’s dumping had stopped but (has) once again returned. Not just in the UAE but also across the Gulf,” he further added.
Recently, the Indian government allowed sugar mills to export 1 million tonnes of sugar during the 2024-25 sugar season, until September 2025.
Al Ghurair also addressed the possibility of exporting sugar to Syria, where a new administration has taken over following the removal of Bashar al-Assad on December 8.
“It’s too soon to say if we will send sugar to Syria. Everything is still unfolding, and the situation needs to stabilise before we can consider exports,” he said.
Al Khaleej Sugar currently produces 1.6 million tons of sugar annually, with 20% serving the local market and the remaining 80% for exports.
