Georgia-based producer Chirina has plans to build a new meat processing facility with a capacity to manufacture between 8t and 10t of chicken products a day.

The new ready-to-eat (RTE) food processing plant is expected to commence operations within a year and will be built by Agrotop, which offers a range of services for livestock construction projects.

Agrotop founding partner and CMO Gavriel Pelleg said: “Chirina is a model for a full vertical integration poultry complex incorporating all the production chain, from seed to fresh meat.

“The new production plant incorporates the most advanced technology, which will include an innovative ventilation concept and the most sophisticated feeding and drinking systems.”

once operational, the 2,664m² facility will produce sliced meats, sausages and cold cuts, and is expected to create 30 jobs.

The new facility will enhance Chirina’s product line, which currently includes chicken meat and hatching eggs. It will also be designed to double the production capacity to meet the future market needs.

Agrotop assisted Chirina in purchasing advanced equipment.

Chirina president Revaz Vashakidze said: “We have been working with Agrotop for over a decade, since Chirina took its very first step, and view this as a long-term relationship.

“It was only natural for us to expand this partnership and build Georgia’s largest food processing plant. Our relationship is built on trust and I am sure we will continue to work together to realise more dreams.”

Claimed to be the most advanced agricultural greenfield project in Georgia, the Chirina poultry complex combines pullet, breeding and broiler farms capable of growing 5.65 million chickens.

The complex features a modern hatchery, meat processing plant, laboratory, grain elevator, feed mill, compost site and grain fields to produce 24,000t of live chickens annually, which is more than 80% of the country’s poultry meat production.

In September 2018, the Government of the Republic of Sierra Leone selected Agrotop and Integrated Solutions Africa (ISA) Group to build a large-scale layer and pullets farm with a $60m investment.

The two firms were hired to jointly build the farm in Tima and Njala areas of Kiri Chiefdom, Moyaamba district. The new farm will be spread across 10,000 acres and annually produce 195 million eggs.