Minister of Industry Kamel El-Wazir inaugurated two new dairy production lines at the Beyti factory, subsidiary of Saudi Almarai Group, on Thursday. The new lines are set to enhance the factory's production capacity by an impressive 100,000 tons per year. With an investment of 6 billion Egyptian pounds, the Beyti factory is now poised to contribute even more substantially to the nation's dairy sector. The local component percentage stands at 70 per cent, and exports amount to $35 million annually, with a target to reach $50 million in 2024. The new lines will bring the total number of production lines at the Beyti factory to 28, including 6 introduced during 2022 and 2023. El-Wazir emphasised the critical need for local cheese production, especially given that Egypt has spent approximately $1.2 billion on imported cheeses from 2014 to 2023. This underscores the urgency for developing domestic manufacturing capabilities. The factory's expansion is expected to generate around 5,550 direct and indirect job opportunities, while also collaborating with over 100 farms that supply 200,000 tons of milk annually. In line with sustainability goals, the Beyti factory operates a solar power station with a capacity of 7.6 megawatts, making it the largest solar-powered facility in Egypt's food and beverage sector. This initiative is projected to cover 20 to 30 per cent of the factory's energy consumption. Attribution: Egyptian Cabinet Subediting: M. S. Salama
