Zhongpin starts production of prepared pork products in China
According to a statement released by the China-headquarters company, trial production at its new prepared pork products plant in Tianjin started at the end of last month.
The new prepared pork plant is part of the second phase of the company’s expansion in the industrial park in Tianjin; the first phase saw it start production of for chilled and frozen pork in January 2010 with an annual production capacity of about 100,000 metric tons (MT).
The statement further revealed that company has invested a total of US$22m in this second phase of expansion to have an annual production capacity of about 36,000 MT at the new prepared products plant.
The company said that the new prepared pork facility would produce sausages, hotdogs, and other Chinese-style as well as western-style low-temperature meat products, which have been decided upon after extensive market research.
The new facility, continued the processor, will give it a dual edge with it now being able to offer a wider range of products, as well as increased their overall production capacity.
Xianfu Zhu, chairman and CEO of Zhongpin said that the processor has already seen a wide and high level of market acceptance for its chilled and frozen products in Tianjin and Northern China.
“We believe with confidence that our new facility will yield good market share increases for our prepared pork products in greater Tianjin. And satisfy the traditional strong market demand during the Chinese New Year in 2012,” he said.
A recent study from the University of Purdue said that based on projections, per capita pork consumption in China 2015 could be roughly estimated to be 107 pounds or about 49 kg.
The study further projected total Chinese pork demand for human consumption for the year 2015 is estimated to be around 68 million Mt; almost a 50% increase from 2003, when pork consumption was 45 million MT.
