The new poultry processing plant will be the most sophisticated in the State with a capacity to process 250 birds an hour, The Hindu Business Line reports. The unit, which is ready for commissioning by the end of the month, will cost around Rs 450,000.

Marketing plans

According to officials, the company had also proposed to enter into an agreement with Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation (Supplyco) for selling its range of meat products and ready-to-eat chicken curry through the chain of Supplyco stores in the State. MPI will provide the freezers necessary for storing the meat products in the Supplyco outlets.

Though this marketing mode, MPI products would be more accessible to people across the State. MPI products, now sold in select stores, are not easily accessible to a large section of the population.

Among the new facilities being added at the meat processing unit is a chilling and freezing plant, costing approximately Rs 7 million. Work on the project is complete and it is ready to be commissioned within three weeks. The waste disposal facility, established at a cost of Rs 2.5 million will permanently solve the problem of waste disposal at the unit.

The State Agriculture Minister, Mr K.P. Mohanan, who visited the plant recently, had extended all support for expansion and modernisation of the plant, the officials said.

Pig farm

The modern pig farm being established by MPI at a cost of Rs 10 million will – besides being a rearing facility – provide piglets to farmers around the State. In view of this new facility and the need to provide quality feeds, MPI plans to revive its chicken and pig feeds production.

The company is expecting a 50 per cent increase in its sales turnover in the current financial year from the previous year's Rs 50 million. Last year, the company had sold nearly 250 tonnes of meat products.