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NetEase launches pig breeding project

By Ren Jie (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2011-03-24 17:02

The Chinese Internet company NetEase.com Inc announced Wednesday it will launch a 1,200-mu (80-hectare) pig farm in Anji county of eastern China's Zhejiang province, China Business News reported.

The first phase of the pig farm's construction is underway. The meat may be available on the market by the beginning of next year.

The company will invest other environmentally friendly projects after the first phase of pig breeding project is complete. The company's investments may reach 300 million yuan, according to the report.

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NetEase proposed a science-based production of safe, healthy meat. The method could completely revolutionize the pig breeding industry, said NetEast CEO Ding Lei. The company will upload its model and process on the Internet.

Ding also said NetEase treats the process as a public welfare project. He hoped the move can drive people to pay closer attention to food security, adding the project would create jobs for peasants. NetEase will only breed 10,000 pigs, the newspaper reported.

NetEase is not the only Chinese company eying the agricultural sector. Guang Guangchang, the CEO of Fosun International Limited, invested 160 million yuan in June 2009 for a pig breeding enterprise. Lenovo Group's Liu Chuanzhi also started its agricultural businesses by breeding cattle and growing Chinese gooseberry, the newspaper reported.