The construction of the first China-invested fodder factory in Bulgaria kicked off on Thursday in the northeastern town of Dobrich, which is a grain production center of the Balkan country.
The 6.5-million-U.S.-dollar project of the private company China TianJin Tianshinong Farming Technology CO. LTD will have an initial capacity of 150,000 tonnes per year and subsequently reach 300,000 tonnes, with 90 percent of production exported to China, officials said.
The plant is expected to start operation this autumn and create 50 new jobs.
Bulgarian Deputy Minister of Economy Luben Petrov, who turned the first sod of the factory, said his country gives high priority to cooperation with China, and will support all initiatives in favor of the bilateral relations.
Vasil Gelev, Executive Director of the Association for the Promotion of Agricultural Cooperation between China and the Central and Eastern European Countries, who also attended the ceremony, told Xinhua in a recent interview that bilateral Bulgarian-Chinese cooperation in the field of agriculture is very promising.
So far, there are three major Chinese investments in Bulgarian agriculture, in three different areas including production of maize grain, cultivation of fresh fruits and vegetables, and food-processing industry, Gelev said.
