Fowl producer Transavia Alba Iulia, which is owned by businessman Ioan Popa, is expecting to double its turnover this year, after completing a 12 million-euro investment in a slaughterhouse last year.
"Six months after the slaughterhouse went into operation we managed to double the quantity of meat we supply to the market over the first quarter. Based on these results, we believe we will double our turnover by the end of the year," said Ioan Popa, the general manager of Transavia. The company sold 5,500 tonnes of chicken in the first quarter compared with 2,500 tonnes in the corresponding period of last year.
Transavia has a chicken raising capacity of 1,700,000 per series, in 6.5 series per year, which results in around 25,000 tonnes of meat per year. The company produces 80 tonnes of chicken per day. The slaughterhouse has a total capacity of 50,000 tonnes per year.
"We will continue with our investment policy and finalise our current works for new chicken farms, which will push up production by 50%. At the same time, we want to expand our fodder warehousing capacities by the end of the year, as well as complete the construction of a new soy processing plant," said Popa.
He explained that this year''s investment would reach 4 million euros. "Although in the first two months of the year sales are generally weaker, they managed to recover. The market is clearly witnessing higher consumption for fresh meat as opposed to frozen meat. We followed this trend, too, and we are currently selling 65% fresh meat."
Almost 70% of Transavia sales come from the major retail chains, says Popa. "I do not think this percentage is too high or risky. Large retail chains are a safe, permanent market, with much lower risks compared with small companies, where you can find yourself not getting paid for your sales." In the middle of this year, advised Popa, Transavia would receive its export licence and start exporting "as far as prices allow".
Transavia was established in 1991 as a private Romanian company with operations in the fowl industry, in mixed fodder production and meat slaughtering and processing.
According to the Union of Romanian Chicken Farmers (UCPR), the Romanian chicken market is worth around 350 million dollars (275 million euros) per year. In terms of quantity, it deals in 275,000 tonnes, almost half of which comes from imports. stelian.negrea@zf.ro
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