Nicaragua to open its first frozen fruit processing plant in state of León, according to news report; facility will create 60 jobs, have initial US$4M investment
Nevin Barich
LOS ANGELES
,
March 22, 2012
(Industry Intelligence)
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According to a report by website Elnuevodiario.com.ni, Frozen Fruit S.A. will open Nicaragua’s first frozen fruit processing plant in León, Fresh Fruit Portal reported March 22.
The facility will create 60 jobs, and Frozen Fruit will lay down a US$4 million initial investment.
Four hundred hectares (988.4 acres) of the plant’s 1,000 hectares will be devoted to mango plantations, while the rest will be used to grow bananas, edamame beans, okra and sweet potatoes.
According to Fernando Paiz, an investor whose family operates 500 supermarkets spread across Central America, the goal is for the facility to sell $2.5 million worth of produce — a total of 1,700 tonnes — to California, Florida and Puerto Rico.
Paiz added that the facility’s production target would increase to $7.2 million worth of produce — a total of 3,500 million tonnes the following year — and will create 180 jobs that will primarily benefit the communities of El Jicaral and San Francisco Libre, Elnuevodiario.com.ni reported.
Paiz said that his decision to invest in Nicaragua is a result of the country’s climate, which features long daylight hours. Good irrigation and a well-trained workforce also factored into the decision, he noted.
The primary source of this article is Fresh Fruit Portal, Santiago, Chile, on March 22, 2012.
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