Vičiūna and Partners (VIP) has begun construction on a €100 million salmon processing facility in Plungė, Lithuania.
The new plant will increase VIP’s salmon processing capacity from 18,000 to 50,000 tonnes annually, positioning the company among Europe’s top five producers in this sector. With the expanded production, VIP expects its annual revenue to increase from €150 million to €500 million, boosting the country’s economy.
“Large-scale greenfield manufacturing investments in Lithuania have recently declined sharply, so an export-oriented project of this magnitude is of great significance for the country’s economy,” said Dainius Matijošaitis, member of the board of Vičiūnai Group.
The 29,000 sqm complex, set to employ around 900 people, will focus on automation and sustainability. A solar power plant on the roof will power the facility, eliminating the use of natural gas, while surplus energy will be used for heating.
“When designing our new plant, we focused not only on state-of-the-art production technologies, but also on sustainability and environmental solutions. We hope that the plant will be certified according to the international BREEAM New Construction standard for sustainable buildings,” said Matijošaitis.
While the new plant aims to meet rising demand for salmon products in Western markets, local Lithuanian consumption may take longer to adapt. “Lithuanian consumers remain cautious and conservative in their choice of high-value fish products,” continued Matijošaitis.
“We hope that a change of attitude in the Baltic countries will take place in the coming years.”
