The $18 million expansion of Pactum Dairy Group’s Shepparton plant has been fast-tracked to keep up with the demand from Asia for its UHT milk.
The upgrade includes the installation of new filling lines, processing lines and associated infrastructure, will enable the company to process an additional 50 million litres of UHT milk per year, for a total of 200 million litres of UHT per year.
The expansion will create 14 full-time jobs and many more in the supply chain.
Deputy Premier Peter Ryan joined The Nationals candidate for Shepparton Greg Barr today announced the Coalition Government would invest $1 million to the project from the $5 million Goulburn Valley Industry and Infrastructure.
Mr Ryan said the additional processing capacity from this latest investment would enable Pactum to meet the ever increasing demand from Asia for Australian milk products that were regarded as high quality, clean and green.
“Pactum Dairy Group has been able to capitalise on our great reputation, with 75 per cent of its existing sales occurring overseas,” he said.
“Since beginning production earlier this year, Pactum has received strong interest from Asian countries to ship more of its product more often, which has meant this $18 million investment had to be fast-tracked to keep up with demand.
“A strong Pactum Dairy Group benefits local farmers and creates more jobs for locals and we look forward to continuing our strong association with the company over the coming years.”
Mr Barr welcomed the investment and said the pace of growth at Pactum was astonishing.
“Pactum’s rise has been truly remarkable, growing from nothing to be in a position to employ more than 65 locals and supporting many more workers in the supply chain and on-farm,” Mr Barr said.
“This investment is proof that food processing and manufacturing has a bright future here in Shepparton and the Goulburn Valley.”
