Work on the new $300m development will begin in the next few months and is due to be completed in time for the 2013 season.
Fonterra trade and operations manager Gary Romano said the second dryer will have double the processing capacity of the first and enable the Canterbury site to process an additional 4.4 million litres of the region’s milk per day, on top of the 2.2 million the first dryer will do.
“Our Darfield site has always been about future-proofing Fonterra’s operations for milk production growth in the South Island,” said Romano. “Since we first announced plans for Darfield in 2009, we’ve seen even more increases in the regions than anticipated. At this rate, the first dryer will be full within a few years, so we need to act now to help meet the existing demand and further growth.
“The milk is already there, so we need to collect it, and the location of Darfield means our tankers don’t have to travel as far for collections.”
The Darfield site will supply milk powder to markets such as the Middle East, Southeast Asia and China.
Source: Fonterra
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024