Vinachem to Build $22M Sorbitol Plant in Tay Ninh Province

The Vietnam National Chemical Group (Vinachem) and Tay Ninh provincial authorities have signed a deal to build a Sorbitol (sugar alcohol) plant that costs $22 million. Sorbitol is used in various industrial fields, including food processing, cosmetics and health, said the Vinachem.  Covering on a site of six hectares in Tan Bien district, the plant will have an annual output of 20,000 tons, the state-run Vietnam News Agency said. This will be the first plant that produces biological products in the province by using starch of cassava grown by local farmers on 30,000 hectares a year. Vinachem and the Tay Ninh Sugar Company each will contribute 40% of the total investment, while the Vietnam Institute of Industrial Chemistry will contribute the rest. The plant will discharge 1.7 tons of solid waste a day, which is expected to be converted into fertilizer for agricultural production. Between January and March, Vinachem’s revenues rose 2% to VND6.46 trillion ($340 million).