Brazilian meat giant JBS plans to invest US$100 million to build two factories in Vietnam as part of a strategy to strengthen its meat production and expand presence in Southeast Asia.

JBS made the official announcement at the weekend with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Vietnamese government as part of Brazilian President’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s state visit to the country.

The company says the two new plants will produce beef, pork, and poultry, using raw materials mostly imported from Brazil, and are poised to supply Vietnam and other countries in the region.

The first facility will be built in Khu công nghiệp Nam Đình Vũ. The second location will be decided later but is planned to be built in the south of Vietnam two years after the first facility starts operations. Both operations will include a logistics center and a processing plant.

“The new plants in Vietnam will not only be an expansion of production capacity, but an investment with a purpose: to generate value for the local economy, create skilled jobs, and contribute to food security throughout Southeast Asia,” says Renato Costa, the CEO for Friboi, JBS’ beef division.

The investment in Vietnam comes on the heels of JBS’s recent move to build two new US facilities in Texas and Colorado aimed at increasing beef production capacity. 

The company also recently announced a US$2.5 billion investment over five years in Nigeria to build six plants.