March 30, 2007

Brazil's Unifrango to invest US$19.5 million in poultry facilities
 

Brazilian poultry producer Unifrango Agroindustrial said it would invest 40 million reals (US$19.5 million) for a poultry complex in Apucarana, in the southern Parana state, the company said Wednesday (March 28).

Unifrango's investment would be broken into two phases, with the first phase consisting of a distribution centre, cold storage unit and a railway terminal. The cold storage units will have the capacity to store some 25,000 tonnes of meat while the railway terminal would be available for use by the state. Total investment for the above facilities is expected to reach 10 million reals (US$4.9 million).

The government has donated the land for the complex in a bid to stimulate the city's economic development. The slaughterhouse is expected to provide employment to some 2,000 people.

Currently, Parana's poultry businesses transports just 5 percent of their produce by rail. When completed, the terminal would be carrying 70 percent of the state's poultry exports and cut transportation costs for poultry companies by 25 percent.

The rest of the investment, 30 million reals (US$14.6 million) would be used to build a chicken slaughterhouse in the area.