China’s influence on the regional aquaculture sector is becoming more apparent after a Chinese equipment supplier was contracted to build a large new feed plant for a Bangladeshi aquaculture firm.
Jiangsu Zhengchang Cereal Oil and Feed Machinery Co. Ltd. has supplied the turnkey facility to Rumi Fish Feed Industries in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with a ceremony last week in the Bangladeshi capital to open the plant, which has capacity to produce 6.5 tons of aquafeed per day.
Describing itself in a statement as “one of the largest feed machinery enterprise in China,” Zhengchang claims to have installed 3,000 turnkey feed facilities globally. Rumi describes itself as an “agricultural cooperative” supplying feed to the poultry and shrimp sector.
Shanghai, China-headquartered Zhengchang has 80 sales offices worldwide. Earlier in August, it hosted 100 aquaculture researchers from Africa, Latin America, Europe, and Asia for training in fish nutrition at its facilities in Jiangsu Province.
Bangladesh has grown closer to China in recent years, with huge Chinese investment in infrastructure –built on loans extended by Chinese banks – making for a large presence of Chinese corporates and workers in Dhaka. However, China’s investment in local coal-fired power plants has caused protests in Bangladeshi cities, including the port city of Cox’s Bazaar.
Chinese manufacturing firms have also moved capacity to Bangladesh in recent years to avail of favorable trade access to key markets including the United States and the European Union.
Photo courtesy of Jiangsu Zhengchang Cereal Oil and Feed Machinery Co. Ltd.
