Arab & India Spices (AIS), the Middle Easts one of the largest importer and the worlds second largest processor of pulses and spices, has unveiled the regions largest food production facility in Ajman on Thursday.

HE Mohammed Al Muallam, Managing Director and Senior Vice President of DP World, inaugurated the facility, in the presence of Arab & India Spices Managing Director Mr. Harish Tahiliani, Director Mrs. Vidhya Harish and other senior dignitaries.

The entire factory premises of AIS now covers an area of over 400,000 square feet, where the new production plant has the capacity to process additional 36,000 tons of lentils annually. With the opening of its new line of production facility, AIS eyes an annual turnover of AED 1,000 million starting from 2016.

The 70-year-old company is one of the largest pulses sourcing and processing firms in the Gulf and is among the first such mills for processing a range of pulses and ground spices in the region. The company records the largest import of pulses, lentils, spices and rice from various sourcing points around the world with hundreds of tonnes of foodstuff being imported annually to the GCC.

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Harish Kumar Lal Tahiliani, Managing Director of Arab & India Spices, said, We are extremely proud to unveil the regions largest food processing plant. This new facility is an extended version of AIS existing state-of-the-art food processing plant in Ajman. AIS began in a 400 square feet facility in the UAE and now it operates a 400,000 square feet production facility as extended gradually, making AIS one of the largest food production and processing facility in the region.

The hi-tech food processing plant is part of the company's plans to drive the continued growth of its business in the UAE and expand further into other parts of the Gulf region. AIS has diversified its operations from milling and grinding to processing of whole spices and consumer packing. We are making investments to drive sustainable long-term growth, and this extension of our plant is a crucial factor of our growth strategy facilitating us consolidate and expand our market share in the Middle East region, he added.

We supply quality products with competitive prices, timely shipments and excellent service offered through our offices, warehouses, factories, farms, sourcing system and processing units across the globe. With a centralized system of these facilities and operations, AIS can control the pricing time to time to keep the market steady at its best level. The quality of our food products and the price range we offer to consumers are the reasons for our constant growth and success in the market, Mr. Tahiliani further said.

We have implemented global standards of quality control measures to maintain the safety and value of the foodstuff produced in our facility and supplied across the region. Known for hygienic packaging, stringent quality norms and competitive pricing, the range of products from Arab & India Spices enjoys a strong customer base of all regions and ethnic backgrounds, major hotels, restaurants and catering companies. We will continue our commitment to sustainable development, which we believe is a key driver of our success in future," he added.

AIS brings superior quality of products to the market keeping in mind the end-users. The companys access to quality material, experience of products processing and maintaining rigid quality control standards guarantee superior product quality. Recently AIS achieved a record of being the first company to bring in lentils in vessel loads to UAE from Canada.