Jebel Ali epicenter for Dubai’s 90% of sugar exports

Jebel Ali Port and Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) are the epicenter for over 90 per cent of Dubai’s sugar exports to over 114 countries, with an estimated value of more than Dhs4.4 billion. At the centre of this is Al Khaleej Sugar, which currently refines and produces about 3 per cent of the total global sugar output.

Dubai is a major sugar exporter, ranking seventh globally in the UN’s Comtrade listings. Behind this extraordinary success is DP World’s Jebel Ali hub, with its world-class manufacturing and logistics facilities, which has played a prominent role in enabling the trade of sugar across the globe, enhancing food security, and ensuring the reliability of supplies for this vital commodity.

DP World worked with Al Khaleej to build the world’s largest standalone sugar refinery at Jebel Ali in 1995, providing the advanced facilities required to unload imported raw sugar from ships directly to storage areas for refining. The sugar complex can now produce more than 7,000 tonnes of refined sugar per day (2.55 million tonnes a year. The goal is to meet the increasing demands of key exports regions, including GCC, Africa and ISC. Jebel Ali Port and Jafza, thus, not only facilitate sugar trade, but also safeguard the food security of its export markets, cementing Dubai’s position as a critical hub for global sugar trade.

Jebel Ali Port has enabled the growth of sugar trading in the region with its unmatched integrated logistics solutions.

The entire sugar production cycle takes about 2-3 weeks. First, raw sugar is imported from across the globe and discharged at Jebel Ali using a dedicated conveyor belt system.