The largest wool processing factory in Europe will be built in Romania by local investors from Olt county, Făgețelu commune, who obtained over RON 182 million within a state aid scheme, the Ministry of Agriculture announced.

The funds will be used for a wool processing factory and acoustic and thermal insulation products made from wool. Plus, the investment also targets secondary products, such as lanolin, organic fertilizers in the form of pellets, or compost from washing wool.

The investment includes a production hall of 12,500 square meters and three raw wool washing lines with a unit capacity of 1t/hour/line. Also, solar panels will be installed on the entire surface of the hall.

"The evaluated and validated project will translate into the construction of a factory through which this valuable resource will be processed, in which we find the finality of the Wool Program started in 2017. We will always stand by the Romanians who want to invest in this activity by creating mechanisms to collect wool from sheep breeders in Romania, with letters of intent for 15,000 tons of raw wool being currently signed with farmers' associations," said the minister of agriculture, Petre Daea.

According to Economica.net, the investor is Cristian Mercioniu, the businessman who built the New Residence residential complex in Măgurele. It is reportedly the second wool processing factory of the entrepreneur who, last December, put into operation another similar plant in the town of Costești in Argeș.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Fotocelia | Dreamstime.com)