AS a part of the government’s long-term goal to eliminate imports of edible oils, a new oil refinery factory completed by the Yuzana Edible Oil Group, a subsidiary of Yuzana Group, started operations late last month.

Built on a 24-acre compound in Yangon’s Thaketa township on the bank of the Bago River, the factory has an attached floating port that can accommodate vessels up to 3000 tonnes.

The refinery is designed to purify produce 200 tonnes of edible oil a day and includes five distinct plants, covering oil refining, dry fractionation, tin making, shortening and packaging.

Currently in its testing stage, the refinery is to have limited operations this financial year before being increased to 40 percent capacity in 2007-08 and then to 75pc capacity in 2008-09. The factory is expected to run at full capacity in 2009-10, said Yuzana Group president U Htay Myint.

“In upgrading to full capacity, the factory will be able to produce enough edible oils to cover 40 percent of the country’s annual require-ment,” U Htay Myint said, adding that the oil would be cheaper than what is currently on the market.

As well as palm oil, which will come from Yuzana’s palm plantations in Tanintharyi Division, the factory is expected to purify peanut, soy bean and vegetable oils for the local market and sesame seed oil for export.

The Yuzana Group is one of the largest and most influential conglomerates in Myanmar.