Muscat: A ceremony was held today at Sohar Freezone to lay the foundation stone for Lalan’s Middle East medical glove packing plant and an ETO sterilization unit, worth USD 5 million.

The project will be established on an area of 5,000 sqm in the freezone.

Once built, the project will supply the local, regional and international market with surgical sterile gloves and disposable Nitrile and Latex gloves. The gloves will be available for purchase locally and will also be exported to both the GCC region and the USA.

The plant will produce 60 million premium disposable gloves annually, from nitrile and latex. Launching by end of 2024, the production will begin with 20 million pairs of latex surgical gloves, scaling to 40 million pairs annually afterwards.

Lalith Hapangama, Chairman of Lalan Group, explained the rationale behind choosing Oman as the regional hub, citing its strategic location, stability, and the warm welcome extended by the Omani people. He affirmed the group`s long-term vision to expand operations in the Sultanate of Oman and establish a robust supply network across the GCC, North African region, and the USA, leveraging Oman`s FDA association.”

Highlighting the importance of the ceremony, Omar Mahmood Al Mahrizi, CEO of SOHAR Freezone, DCEO of SOHAR Port said, “As we strengthen SOHAR Freezone growing pharmaceutical cluster with this new plant, we stand firm in our dedication to fostering an environment where businesses thrive. This milestone is a testament to the opportunities within the Freezone; it reflects our ongoing promise to support our partners in realizing their ambitions and contributing to the Sultanate of Oman`s economic diversification goals.”