The Minnesota-based agri-giant announced Wednesday [April 17] that its animal nutrition business has opened a new feed premix production facility in Jordan, which it termed one of the most technologically advanced premix plants in the world.
The Provimi Jordan factory will supply that market but also countries throughout the Middle East, a company spokesperson said.
The facility took about a year to complete, added the representative.
“This new plant demonstrates Cargill’s commitment to helping our customers in the Middle East to provide efficient, healthy and sustainable feed solutions."
The global population expected to reach more than 9bn in 2050, and the Middle East is the region, after Africa, with the highest expected population growth, the spokesperson said.
Guillaume Smeets, managing director of Cargill’s animal nutrition business in the Middle East and Africa, who told us previously about the company's ambitions for that region, said, in a release:
“Our two-pronged approach focuses on the development of the poultry, dairy and aqua industries while building new capacities that add value and prepare feed and animal producers for ‘farming of the future.’”
Facility capacity
The new manufacturing plant has the ability to generate about 65,000 metric tons of premix annually. It will produce a range of products including animal nutrition premixes, concentrates and additives under the Provimi brand.
The six-level-facility includes 92 silos and has three isolated production lines with separate sets of ingredient storage, mixers and packing to reduce the risk of cross-contamination, the company said. It uses a whole-process barcode record management program to establish traceability starting with raw materials through the finished product.
The location also includes an animal nutrition research lab and a team of nutritionists, Cargill said. The site provides an opportunity for the company to partner with livestock and feed producers in the region to improve productivity, animal well-being and the use of sustainable practices.
Additionally, the plant uses a solar energy system – which includes use of 1,466 solar panels – to limit the effect of the facility on the environment, Cargill said. The system provides about 1,700 megawatts an hour supplying about 45% of the facility’s energy needs.
The renewable energy program also is credited with reducing the site’s CO2 emissions by 400 metric tons annually, the company said.