JBS, the largest global meat producer, announced on Thursday investments of $ 70 million in Paraguay in the next two years, contributions that include the acquisition of a chickening processor, according to information from the company.
The announcement of the investment was made during a visit by Paraguayan President, Santiago Peña, to the Unit of Seara, JBS subsidiary, located in Dourados (MS), this Thursday.
It, which employs more than 280,000 people, with operations in countries such as Brazil, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Australia, has a production unit in Paraguay, after selling cattle slaughter units in 2017 to rival Minerva.
“We are confident that this operation will be a growth engine for the country, generating high quality jobs, income and products for the global market, accelerating Paraguay’s presence in the world chickens market,” JBS Global CEO Gilberto Tomazoni said in a statement.
Paraguay, although a neighbor of Paraná, the largest Brazilian chicken producer in Brazil, has a relatively small poultry production.
The investment of the country will be stages. The first of these began with the acquisition of Pollos Amazente, a local chicken brand that operates a factory in Doctor Juan Eulgio Estigarribia district, also known as Campo 9, in the Caaguazú Department, JBS announced in a statement.
Located in one of the largest agricultural regions of Paraguay, the unit purchased from Campo 9 company has easy access to feed raw materials such as grains.
After works of expansion and modernization, the plant will reach processing capacity of 100 thousand birds per day, with the objective of continuing to serve the domestic market and access external markets.
“Paraguay offers good conditions for the development of poultry, and this investment reinforces our strategy of increasing competitiveness and diversification of the company,” said Tomazoni.
The full capacity, the industry will run with about 1,100 employees (adding the manufacturing and administrative workforce). The productive complex will include 28 farms for genetic material, incubatory and a feed factory, according to JBS.
Currently, the factory operates with chickens produced in 19 sheds. The plan is to reach a total of 139 warehouses when the factory’s expansion cycle is completed, the company said.
