Project in the Middle East will focus on the production of beef, poultry and lamb
JBS announced the creation of a multi-protein platform in Oman, in the Middle East, focused on the production of beef, poultry and lamb. The initiative involves a total investment of US$ 150 millionwhich includes the acquisition of 80% of a food holding company in a joint venture with Oman Food Capital (OFC) and the resources necessary to put the factories into operation. OFC is the food and agribusiness investment arm of the Oman Investment Authority (OIA).
According to the company’s global CEO, Gilberto Tomazoni, the project marks the expansion of the company’s presence in the region and reinforces the geographic and protein diversification strategy. “We are talking about a region with around 2 billion consumers in its surroundings, which is experiencing growth and increasing income,” he stated.
The hub will consolidate two industrial units in the country: an integrated poultry plant and a unit focused on processing cattle and sheep. When operating at full capacity, the plants will be able to process around 600 thousand chickens per dayin addition to approximately one thousand cattle and 5 thousand lambs daily, reaching a static industrial capacity estimated at more than 300 thousand tons per year, considering all proteins.
The contributions will be mainly directed towards the completion of the ANamaa poultry plant, located in the Ibri region, and the Al Bashayer beef and lamb processing unit, in Thumrait. The company’s expectation is to begin beef and lamb production in approximately six months, while poultry operations are expected to begin in approximately 12 months.
According to the CEO, the company will also structure a regional animal supply chain, with the participation of countries in Africa and the Middle East itself. “We will have a pilot confinement to receive live animals. The animals will arrive, go through the confinement for finishing and then be processed at the unit”, he explained.
In the case of poultry operations, JBS intends to operate from production to processing, creating an integrated local chain “In this project, unlike the traditional fully integrated model, we will also be producers. We will produce the chickens and structure the entire chain locally”, he said.
The project represents the first investment in the initial stage of the production chain in the Middle East and expands the company’s operations in the region, where it already operates factories and has around 1,600 employees.
“We started our local presence at the end of the chain. Now, we consider it essential to also move towards the beginning of the production chain”, stated Tomazoni. According to him, the movement also responds to geopolitical changes and increased global concern about food security. “We don’t know how long it will be competitive to depend solely on exports. That’s why we are investing in local production,” he said.
The company estimates that the new multi-protein hub will generate more than 3 thousand direct jobs over the next five years in . The project also reinforces the strategy of positioning the country as a halal production platform for regional exports, aligned with the 2040 Vision of the Sultanate of Oman, in addition to strengthening the . With the new operation, JBS will have activities in 26 countries spread across five continents, expanding its global presence and building local production platforms in strategic markets.
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