Bahrain eyes industrial growth
Bahrain aims to increase the industrial sector’s gross national product (GNP) contribution to 25 per cent over the next few years from a current 17 per cent and from only 7 per cent a few years ago, said a senior government official.
The ministry has presented to the government viability research, including basic requirement of land needed for industrial projects, said Industry and Commerce Minister Dr Hassan Fakhro.
Meanwhile, 546 industrial projects in Bahrain worth more than BD1.5 billion ($3.97 billion) have been given initial approval since 2009, Dr Fakhro said.
More than 300 of these projects, worth BD942 million, have already been granted licences, he added.
DSI unit wins $24m Al Ain deal
Drake & Scull International (DSI), a market leader in integrated design, engineering and construction, has announced its unit has won a Dh75 million ($20.4 million) contract for the construction of a sewerage project in Al Ain, UAE.
The infrastructure contract includes the supply, erection, installation, testing and commissioning of mechanical, electrical and instrumentation equipment for two treated sewerage effluent pumping stations and one bypass station in addition to associated infrastructure work.
The project is scheduled to start soon and will be completed in November 2012, said Drake & Scull Water and Power (DSWP).
Vimto passes major milestone
Annual sales of Vimto in the Middle East and North Africa have crossed the 30-million-bottle mark for the first time, according to the drink’s Saudi-based producer, Aujan Industries. Driven by exceptional demand during Ramadan, sales of Vimto are up by over 20 per cent year-on-year, it says.
Vimto’s main markets this year were Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE.
Dubai trade in fresh produce up
Between 2008 and 2010, Dubai witnessed a 16 per cent growth in the import of fresh fruits and a 20 per cent growth in fresh vegetables, said Abdulla Mohammed Rafia, the assistant director general for Dubai Municipality’s general support sector.
Last year the emirate imported nearly 1.7 billion kg of fruits and vegetables valued at approximately Dh5.3 billion ($1.44 billion). Rafia said Dubai was also a re-export centre for the region for markets such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.
