Himalaya Wellness to invest Dh120 million to set up herbal pharmaceutical factory in DIC

Dubai - Advanced facility will produce high-quality herbal pharmaceuticals to boost global trust and confidence in Made in UAE products.

Dubai Industrial City (DIC), one of the region’s largest manufacturing and logistics hub, has announced that Himalaya Wellness has signed an agreement to build Dh120 million state-of-the-art herbal pharmaceutical plant that will be producing three billion tablets, 15 million syrup bottles and three million units of ointment annually at Dubai Industrial City.

Himalaya, with over 90-plus years of herbal expertise, is a world-leading producer of over 300 herbal medicines, nutritional supplements, skin care, hair care, oral care, baby care and animal health products. The new herbal pharmaceutical facility in Dubai Industrial City will create hundreds of specialised jobs and export medicines to over 100 countries.

The signing ceremony was attended by Abdulla Belhoul, chief commercial officer of Dubai Holding Asset Management; Saud Abu Al Shawareb, managing director of Dubai Industrial City; Shailendra Malhotra, Global CEO of Himalaya Wellness; and Jatin Brahmecha, Global CFO of Himalaya Wellness.

The commercial production at the new facility will start in the first quarter of 2024. The proposed factory will sit on 760,000 sq. ft of prime land and will be the first of three facilities Himalaya will build in Dubai Industrial City. The herbal pharmaceutical facility will be followed by dedicated units for Personal care products and Functional foods in future.

Belhoul said: “In line with the vision of our leadership, the UAE continues to consolidate its status as a global leader thanks to a raft of infrastructure investments, new initiatives and regulations. Combined, these factors have created a competitive and enabling industrial ecosystem. Under Operation 300Bn, the manufacturing of pharmaceutical and medical products is a crucial segment, and our partnership with Himalaya is another milestone that will contribute towards achieving the nation’s ambitious plans for the industrial sector.”

The plant will be built to the highest standards recognised by the World Health Organisation, the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicine Agency’s good manufacturing practices. It will enhance global trust and confidence in high-quality Made in UAE products, boost medical security, and support the nation’s industrial strategy, Operation 300Bn.

Al Shawareb said: “Stimulating growth in the pharmaceutical industry by increasing domestic medicine production is of vital national importance in line with the vision of our leaders for economic diversification. We are delighted to enter into this agreement with the leading wellness company Himalaya and believe our competitive ecosystem, with advanced infrastructure and an easy setup process, is the perfect place for its next phase of growth. For more than a decade, we have been a strategic driver and enabler of Dubai’s knowledge and innovation-based economy and today’s announcement is the latest step forward in our ongoing efforts to position this city as a global hub for advanced manufacturing and logistics.”

— business@khaleejtimes.com