July 20, 2006

ABNA sets up feed factory in Harbin, China

Associated British Nutrition & Agri-products (ABNA), a Fortune 500 company and the world's eighth largest feed producer Tuesday (Jul 18) broke ground on its new US$6 million feed factory in Harbin, China. 

The 25,700 sq ft factory would be completed next year and would produce a total of 120,000 tonnes of animal feed, including pig feed, poultry feed and aquafeed.

Sales are expected to reach RMB2.8 billion (US$350 million) annually.

ABNA is the UK's largest feed company and grain procurer. It is also the country's third largest seed processing and chemical fertiliser company. Since gaining entry into China in 1997, its China subsidiary, ABNA China, grew into the country's fifth largest feed producer.

At the ground-breaking ceremony, Harbin vice-secretary and mayor Shi Zhongxin said the Heilongjiang province is China's largest grain-producing region while Harbin is a central city in north-eastern Asia. Thus, ABNA's choice of location not only helps the company open up the Heilongjiang and North-east region market, it would also be a strategic location to access to the markets of South-east Asia, Russia and the two Koreas, he said.