Muscat

- The red sugar industry represents one of the economic tributaries in the Al Dakhiliyah Governorate in the Sultanate of Oman, where the production of the Al-Khetta factory alone is approximately 250 tons of annually.

The step factory is located in the Wilayat of Bahla in the Governorate of Al Dakhiliyah, and is one of the oldest factories in the state, according to what the owner of the factory, Majid bin Humaid Al Yahyai, ​​tells. There are also other factories for red sugar in Bahla and the neighboring states.

In an interview with Al Jazeera Net, Al Yahyai said about the stages of the red sugar industry: This industry begins with the cultivation of sugar cane, in February of each year, and it is harvested after a full year has passed since its cultivation, and then the stage of its pressing begins in a dedicated mill in a pond with an approximate capacity of 650 gallons. .

Director of Al Yahyai Factory: Red sugar is used in many industries (Al-Jazeera)

At another stage, it is transferred to the “cooking cauldron” vessel. There are 4 boilers in the factory. The red sugar is cooked with high skill and accurate measures, within 3.5-4 hours.

This year, the factory introduced the gas system to be used in the cooking process, after it was using wood.

During the cooking process, the impurities are separated from the red sugar as they float to the surface. Then the sugar is transferred to the cooling utensils, and then the red sugar liquid is stirred to release air bubbles from it, and then it is placed in pots made of fronds to dry it for 3 days until it turns into a state solid.

Special equipment involved in the red sugar industry (Al-Jazeera)

sugar specification

Regarding the specifications of red sugar, Al-Yahyai said that it is a healthy alternative to white sugar, and is characterized by being free of preservatives, and its color varies according to the soil, there are red, yellow and gold, and it is stored in pots made of fronds that vary in size, and it is also preserved in pottery vessels called “Kamolol” ".

Red sugar when it is preserved in these pottery vessels is called "Al-Balug" and it retains its same specifications over the years and does not change in color or shape.

According to Al Yahyai, ​​red sugar is used in many industries such as the Omani sweets industry and various sweets.

“Al-Zej” is also one of the sugar cane products, and it differs from red sugar in its cooking time, as it cooks for 3 hours and remains liquid. It is used as a substitute for honey, and cardamom, rose water and saffron are added to it.

The total production of sugar cane in the Sultanate of Oman amounted to 261 tons last year (Al-Jazeera)

Factory productivity

Regarding the mechanism of work in the Al-Khatwa Factory, Al Yahyai said that they attract the sugar cane crop from farmers from the neighboring states and various governorates of the Sultanate, and they have about 15 workers, and their number increases by increasing the crop.

The total sugar cane production in the Sultanate last season, according to statistics published by the Ministry of Agricultural Wealth, Fisheries and Water Resources, amounted to 261 tons, with an estimated value of more than one million riyals, in an agricultural area of ​​96 acres.

Bahla topped the list of states in terms of total production of red sugar cane and its value and agricultural area. The total production amounted to 18,175 kg of honey, and 93,920 kg of red sugar, with an agricultural area of ​​38.35 acres.