Fujian Dali Food builds new China biscuit facility
construction of its new €19 million biscuit factory in Changchun,
Jilin Province, is now well underway, moving it closer towards its
goal of dominating the biscuit market in northeastern China.
According to Sinoprojects, the first part of the project, valued at €11 million, is now nearly complete, and efforts are being concentrated on the second part of the project, which will add a further eight production lines at a cost of €8 million.
Once the plant reaches full production, around the second quarter of 2005, it is expected to employ a total of 1,500 staff and have a production capacity of 60,000 tons, valued at €50 million.
Fujian Dali Food produces a complete range of biscuits that are particularly popular in the northeast of China, which, taking in Shanghai, is one of the most densely populated regions in the country. The company currently has annual sales of CNY 7 billion (€700m).
Although per capita consumption is still relatively low at around 1kg per person per year compared to more developed nations, where 25kg is more the norm, the market for baked goods, and in particular biscuits, is expected to experience huge growth in coming years.
According to information from Euromonitor, China's biscuit sector is growing at an annual rate of 10-15 per cent and, given the low consumption rates, this figure is expected to be easily sustained in the future. Currently there are some 4,000 production facilities producing biscuits in the country, but to feed the growing demand, facilities such as the new Fujian Dali Foods factory are now shooting up all over the country.
