AGRANA is to double the production capacity of the wheat starch factory in Pischelsdorf, Lower Austria. The total investment volume will amount to €92 million. After obtaining the necessary official approvals, the intention is to start construction work in early 2018 and to commission the new facility at the beginning of 2020. The expansion project will create 44 new jobs.

“The doubling of our wheat starch production capacity in Pischelsdorf represents an important step for AGRANA in terms of sustainably consolidating our position in the starch market,” said emphasises AGRANA CEO Johann Marihart. “The expansion of our annual processing capacity at the Pischelsdorf site from 820,000 tonnes at present to over one million tonnes is a major competitive factor. This reflects the increasing level of demand, particularly from the paper industry due to the high proportion of recycled paper and rising demand for packaging stemming from internet / mail order trade.”With 200 employees in future, the Pischelsdorf site also houses Austria’s only bioethanol facility in addition to its wheat starch plant. The close integration of both plants enables the cereals processed to be utilised 100%, the copany says. After extracting wheat starch and gluten, the remaining fractions of the raw materials are used in the production of bioethanol and a high-grade, GMO-free, protein-rich animal feed. Taking into account the high-purity CO2, which is extracted from the fermentation tanks of the bioethanol plant and liquefied by the industrial gas company Air Liquide, this makes a total of four top-quality products which are manufactured from a single commodity.