CHANGGE, CHINA — Zhongpin Inc., a leading meat and food processing company in the People's Republic of China, plans to open its new premium pork oil plant on April 12. The facility is located within the Zhongpin Food Industrial Park in Changge, Henan province, China.

"In addition to increasing our brand identity, core competencies, product lines, and production capabilities, this new business line has two other important benefits,” said Xianfu Zhu, chairman and chief executive officer of Zhongpin. “First, is an expected increase in our return on investment, which is one of our primary financial goals. The second benefit is further yield from the hogs we use in our pork production, since premium pork oil will be a new co-product for us."

The new pork plant is designed to use state-of-the-art manufacturing processes, including the most modern process engineering and integrated information technology. Capacity is expected to be 20,000 metric tons of premium pork oil each year. Construction on this facility began in September 2009. The total investment in the new project will be about RMB 38 million or $5.6 million.

Zhongpin Inc. is a meat and food processing company specializing in pork and pork products, vegetables and fruits in China. Its distribution network in the China covers 20 provinces plus Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Chongqing and includes more than 3,000 retail outlets. The company’s export markets include the European Union and Southeast Asia.