Construction on a 6ha-fruit and vegetable processing centre began in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai on Sunday.

Financed by Dong Giao Foodstuff JSC, the centre will include three factories with a total production capacity of 30,000 tonnes of products annually.

Once operational in July, the centre is forecast to post a revenue from VND1.8 trillion (US$78.95 million) to VND2 trillion ($88 million) each year, contributing up to $4.4 million to the State budget while creating thousands of local jobs, the company’s representatives said at the ground breaking ceremony.

In his speech at the event, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong hailed the company’s decision to kick off the project, which comes in line with the Government’s direction in promoting the application of advanced technology in farming production and in establishing close links from production to processing and consumption.

According to Cuong, the project will help create a breakthrough for the development of provincial agriculture and that of the region as well. — VNS