5m euros for first pet food plant

The Nordic group, a producer and distributor of consumer goods, is investing over 5 million euros in building the first pet food plant on the domestic market. The plant is being built in Buftea as a greenfield project and it covers a surface area of 1,600 square metres. “The pet food market is one of the most dynamic in Romania, with the highest development level in the last few years,” stated Constantin Muclea, commercial manager of the company. The local pet food market has grown more than seven-fold in the last six years, but it is still very meagre compared to neighbouring countries. Estimated at over 30 million euros, the market is dominated by imports and last year reached 30,000 tonnes, in contrast to the 180,000 tonnes in Hungary or the 350,000 tonnes in Poland. The biggest players are Nestle (Darling, Friskies and Purina) and Masterfoods (Whiskas, Pedigree, Chaapi and Kitekat). “Our intention is to get 30% of the market within three years and to become more present on the foreign markets, especially in the former Yugoslavia, Russia and the Ukraine,” Muclea added. ZF