Middle East company buys Farmland equipment

The dismantling has begun.

Manufacturing equipment that has been idle for five years at a former Farmland Industries Inc. complex at the edge of southeast Lawrence is being taken apart and prepared for delivery.

Its destination: Oman, a country between Saudi Arabia and the Arabian Sea.

Oman Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals LLC purchased two plants at the Farmland complex: the ammonia plant for $1.05 million, and the urea plant for $255,000.

Removal of the ammonia plant – which represents the bulk of equipment visible from Kansas Highway 10 – should be completed within six weeks, said Kamyar Manesh, site administrator for SELS Administrative Services LLC, which is serving as trustee for FI Kansas Remediation Trust, which is disposing of the property. Removal of the urea plant is expected to be finished by the end of September.

After that, remaining equipment likely will be sold as scrap for salvage, Manesh said.

The Oman company will be able to take advantage of cheaper natural gas, a major component in the manufacturing of fertilizer. Manesh said: “They will be able to create a profitable operation there.”