Martifer's Prio Foods Launches EUR93M Vegetable Oil Plant

05.04.2011 By Andrei Circhelan

Food products maker Prio Foods, part of Portuguese group Martifer, will launch Thursday in Romanian county Calarasi a vegetable oil production unit, following an investment of EUR93 million.

Prio Extractie plant has 15 vertical silos, each of 10,000 cubic meters in storage capacity, 2 laboratory units for oilseeds analysis and processing and currently employs 90 people.

"The company targets to increase (employee numbers) to 200," Prio Foods said in a news release.

The unit has a storage capacity of 316,000 tons of vegetable oil and 340,000 tons of meal.

Prio Extractie is specialized in oilseed processing and vegetable oil production, for industrial and food purposes.

"We have started our operations in Lehliu in 2005 by building our biodiesel production facility and we continue to believe in the potential of this region, Romania representing a strategic location for our company's development, a commercial and regional hub," said Carlos Martins, Prio Foods board president.

The Martifer group has 500 employees in Romania, and it is active in agriculture, constructions and renewable energy production.