By Simon Duke, Managing Editor - EMEA
Utrix, a leading Lebanese producer of premixes, concentrates, feed additives, and specialties, is planning an expansion of its manufacturing operations in Bekaa in the centre-east of the country near the Syrian border. The company said it is responding to sharply rising demand both locally and in foreign markets.
Currently, Utrix’s factory has a production capacity of 48,000 tons/year. Michel Daher, Business Support Director at Utrix, told Expana that a second shift is set to begin operations by October 2025, with recruitment and training of operators and shift leaders currently underway.
"With the second shift, we aim to increase capacity to 70,000 tons/year, depending on product mix," Daher said, adding that infrastructure upgrades began in Q1 2025 and are on track.
The expansion will involve all four of the factory's product lines, particularly powder additives and specialties, which are seeing strong interest in international markets. Utrix now has a branch in the UAE and an office in Jordan. It has also expanded sales into Iraq.
According to Daher, local growth is also pushing demand higher for premixes and concentrates as farms and feed mills in the north and central regions of Lebanon ramp back up.
When last interviewed by Expana in October 2024, Daher said that in the southern part of the country, from the southern border with Israel to Sidon, all farms and feed operations were closed as people fled the area due to the Israeli strikes at the time. North of this region, up to Khalde (south of Beirut), feed mills and premixers were operating at a 50-60% capacity. However, Daher added that in the northern part of the country, all feed and premix producers were functioning normally and at full capacity to continue supplying farms. Logistics in this area remained functional, with raw materials being delivered to the feed mills without interruption.
In an update, Daher said: "The situation has largely stabilized compared to the last quarter of 2024. Most feed operations north of Sidon have resumed normal activity. In the area from the southern border up to Sidon, the operation of most large integrators has resumed normally as well."
Daher, however, warned about a "bottleneck" some farmers are facing due to lower availability of hatching eggs as breeders are limited in the area. "Within the next two to three months (Once the new flock of breeders start laying eggs), most of the farmers will be operating at full capacity," he commented.
In the Bekaa region, where Utrix's factory is located, "operations have remained uninterrupted, and logistics continue to function effectively," Daher said. "Our raw material imports are arriving without significant delays, and we’ve maintained consistent production and delivery schedules to our clients."
