Turkish dairy company "Sutas" will build a 40-hectare farm and is planning to double its production and the number of employees. Efforts are already being made to obtain permits and licences, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski said Wednesday after visiting the plant where he met with the management team.

In addition to the Macedonian market, Sutas also intends to enter the markets in the region and beyond. The facility in the vicinity of Skopje is the company's first investment outside Turkey as Sutas is investing simultaneously in Romania as well, Gruevski informed.

"Utmost efforts were made to find an investor to help the farmers who collaborated with the former dairy plant 'Swedmilk'. I'm pleased that Sutas came here in Macedonia and introduced state-of-the-art technology and equipment from Denmark and Sweden… It invested in the facility which produces 180 tons daily with a tendency to be drastically increased to 400 tons. The management also plans to double the number of employees from 80 to 150. It is a powerful company having huge capacity, experience and quality,” stated PM Gruevski after visiting the plant.

The company has invested 13 million euros so far. It is purchasing milk from 500 farmers. Sutas in Macedonia is on the onset of its production, according to the Premier.