Maxagro, an agro-industrial company dedicated to the production and marketing of pork and high-quality fruit, for the domestic and foreign market, announced that it will double the capacity of its facilities, within the second stage of a modernization project consisting of the expansion of the production capacity of both Rucapequén and Peumo facilities.
This was mentioned in advanced by Pablo Espinosa, agricultural manager of Maxagro, a company that in April 2014 acquired 100% of the pork production of Friosa SA, owner of Agrícola y Ganadera Chillán Viejo stockyards. These are two modernization projects for the facilities, which represent a total investment of 23.5 million dollars: the facility of Rucapequén, with an investment of $13.5 million dollars; and the one in Peumo, with an investment of $10 million dollars.
Jorge Rozas, Commercial Manager of Maxagro, said that this investment will increase production by 20% and that currently, the company exports 45% of everything they produce.
On his part, Juan Carlos Dominguez, president of ChileCarne stressed that: “It is very important to see how the different participants of the pork industry invest in the expansion and constant modernization of their installations, this allows us, as a country, to continue being competitive in the different markets where we export, offering good quantities of high-quality meat.”
Capacity increase
The integral project also includes the increase of the production capacity of the two stockyards. In the case of Rucapequén, the objective is to go from 47,000 to 112,000 animals; while Peumo, where the maternity area is, is expected to increase from 4,500 to 9,500 females.
“Now, as the biodigesters and environmental work are finished, we are ready to start construction. We are focusing on the blueprints and quoting, we should start construction at the end of this year, first in Rucapequén, and later in Peumo “, explained Espinosa.
He also said that when both facilities are operating with their new full capacity, it is estimated that the number of workers will double, from the 115 that are currently working to 230, without taking external jobs into account.
When asked about the electric generation that comes from biogas that is generated in the process, the professional explained that this has to do with to a later stage.
Biodigesters in the Rucapequén stockyard
The construction of the two biodigesters – hermetic containers that break down the slurry in anaerobic conditions – of the Rucapequén plant ended in March of last year, its gradual implementation has contributed to reducing the emissions of odors and the proliferation of vectors that for many years have affected the inhabitants of Chillán Viejo, particularly in the rural areas of El Quillay, Nebuco, Quilmo Bajo and Llollinco.
“Rucapequén biodigesters are working normally, they are generating a good volume of methane gas, and the pool is covered, so the issue has had a substantial improvement,” said the executive.
In that case, Espinosa stressed that communication with neighbors “is increasingly more fluid and the community has more confidence in the work of Maxagro. In the beginning, there was skepticism, they wanted to know if we were going to hold up our part of the deal. They now see, that we have fulfill everything that we have said and that we are always opened to criticism because it helps us improve. ”
As for the Peumo stockyard – located in the town of Rucapequén – whose works began in February of this year, he stated that “we are putting the biodigester membrane up and we should start filling it in ten more days. The rains of this year have been a bit of a setback, but we are almost ready (…) In any case, it will be operating in the summer. “[:]
