Serbian meat investment gets Chinese group's support

Neoplanta says it is aiming to invest a total of €30m with the aim of modernising its facilities and setting up a new pig breeding farm.

Under the plan, the Novi Sad-based firm will launch construction works on the new farm, which is to be fitted with a capacity of some 150,000 head per year, in 2016, and the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2017, according to senior company representatives. 

The planned investments will follow the company’s expansion last year, under which Neoplanta upgraded its existing production facilities.

'Comprehensive project'​

“Last year, we completed a comprehensive project to overhaul our production facilities, owing to which we currently have one of the most modern facilities in the region,”​ ​Slobodan Vasilić, the chief executive of Neoplanta, told local daily Danas.

“​We invested €20m in this project. Now, we are facing investments in our farm business and the construction of a wastewater treatment plant which will total a further €30m.”​ 

Vasilić made the remarks following a meeting with Marko Čadež, the president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (PKS). The chief executive said that he hoped for continuing his company’s ongoing cooperation with the chamber and the Serbian government, in particular in the field of technology upgrades and also securing loans to finance Neoplanta’s modernisation plans.

Major global brands​

Neoplanta says it was set up in 1885, when it was established as a small meat processing facility. In 2007, the company became a member of Net Co, a local distributor of major global brands such as Procter & Gamble, Kraft Foods, Wrigley, SSL International and Dr. Oetker in the Balkan markets.

Neoplanta is operated by a workforce of about 700. Its pork and poultry meat product range includes sausages, hams, hot dogs, pates, canned meat and other processed meat products, according to data from the firm. Neoplanta says its facilities are ISO 9001 and HACCP certified, and the company’s brands include Prego, Patelina, Gudi, Pipi and Neoplanta Delikates. 

The Serbian meat processor sells its output to Russia, Sweden, the Balkans and Angola, and is currently planning to launch exports to Germany and Romania, among others. 

Meanwhile, following a recent meeting between company representatives and Serbian president Tomislav Nikolić, the Beijing-based China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) group announced it is considering to enter the country’s meat market and invest in a Serbian meat processing plant.

The group is currently discussing the project with local authorities. The first phase of the planned investment could be implemented within a year’s time, according to company representatives.