US company Cargill opens protein production plant in East China

SHANGHAI - US agriculture and food company Cargill is expanding its protein production capacity in the city of Chuzhou, East China's Anhui province, with an investment of around $48.8 million in a new plant.

This investment follows the company's $112 million investment in April to expand its deep corn production plant in Songyuan, northeastern Jilin province.

The newly added production is expected to contribute to farmer prosperity and the growth of the local economy, bringing 600 new jobs, the company said in Shanghai Tuesday.

Cargill's integrated poultry production facility in Chuzhou covers every stage of the supply chain, including chicken breeding, raising, feed production, hatching, primary and further production. Any product from the facility can be traced back at any point in its production process within two hours, according to the company.

This facility is equipped with two fully cooked protein production lines that will be able to produce 32,000 tons of chicken and other protein products every year.

"This new investment will help Chuzhou and local farmers prosper as they work with us to deliver protein to dinner tables around the world," said Marcel Smits, chairman of Cargill Asia Pacific.