Executives of the Brazilian company BRF S.A. recently met with the president of Argentina, Mauricio Macri, to discuss the expansion plans of the company in the neighboring country, which includes investments in the order of US$292 million in 2016.
BRF said that part of this amount has already been applied to acquisitions of Argentinian companies Campo Austral and Calchaquí, and in the expansion and modernization of production lines of other units.
"We are convinced that, the path forward in the coming years, is to optimize the free-trade of goods and services among members of Mercosur and other trading partners, to make Brazil and Argentina an export platform to the world," said Pedro Faria, Global CEO of BRF.
“These projects will give priority to the production of higher value-added products. This, which reasserts our commitment to economic growth in Argentina. We want consumers to get closer and closer to our products, so we are creating a complete value chain, from the field to the table,” says Jorge Lima, CEO of BRF for Latin America.
"Finally, we are carrying out what we had planned for Argentina," concludes José Carlos Reis de Magalhaes Neto, member of the board of BRF.
In Argentina, BRF markets in iconic argentine brands such as Paty, Campo Austral, Sadia, Danica, Vieníssima, Bom Mark, Bocatti, Manty and Delicia. It has nine production units in four provinces. In 1Q of 2016, net operating income of the "Latam" division reached a total of R$438 million (US$124 million), 11.2 percent more than in the same period last year.
BRF is one of the world's largest food companies. Owner of Sadia, Perdigão and Qualy brands, the company has more than 105,000 employees, 35 industrial units in Brazil, 16 plants abroad (nine in Argentina already mentioned, one in the UK, one in the Netherlands four in Thailand and one in the United Arab Emirates) and 40 distribution centers. Currently, BRF exports to over 120 countries.
