Fresh investments, new wholesale business and product rebranding are in the pipeline to help Betagro Group achieve its sales projection of 50 billion baht this year despite low consumption globally. The aggressive target was set after its 2008 sales rose substantially to 45 billion baht, well above a preliminary projection of 30 billion, thanks to high meat prices and more exports to Japan and other destinations after China faced food-safety scandals.

Two food ventures with Japanese partners will be signed soon, each with an initial investment of 500-600 million baht, according to Vasit Taepaisitphongse, chief operating officer of Betagro Group.

The investment is part of the group's 3-billion-baht plan this year to increase sales, especially from the domestic market which accounts for 75% of total revenue, with chicken, pork and animal feed the main contributors.

Steady investments over the past two years including the opening of new animal feed mill worth 370 million baht in Lamphun and a 190-million baht pedigree pig farm in Lop Buri also contributed to strong sales in 2008, he said.

''Our Japanese partners have been happy with operational results in Thailand and that has drawn them to continue their investments here,'' Mr Vasit said.

Betagro Group, one of Thailand's leading food producers and exporters, has tied up closely with Japanese counterparts such as the Ajinomoto Group, Mitsubishi and Sumitomo to process chicken and pork for local and overseas markets.

The partners have brought in production technologies, established markets in Japan, and promoted a total productivity management (TPM) system that has enabled the group to save more than 1 billion baht in costs a year.

The wholesale business will be turned into a more effective distribution network to supply meat and food in bulk to small sellers, vendors and operators to assure them of quality at discounted prices.

''After a two-year trial period, we've found this B2B (business to business) market is huge but it often runs without proper management, while food vendors and operators might receive substandard supplies,'' Mr Vasit said.

Betagro has been operating 15 Betagro Shop wholesale outlets in the capital and many provinces as a pilot project. The group is now ready to expand to 80 outlets by the end of 2010.

The wholesale stores are supervised by regional offices that also survey new locations that should be close to communities. ''The format is not a retail shop and is not aimed at bypassing our existing buyers. In fact, we would work together and increase our participation in the market,'' he noted. He expects that the wholesale business will earn 3 billion baht within three years.

These new projects would run alongside the plan to rebrand key product brands _ High Meat for fresh chicken, and S-Pure, a brand of pork and chicken meat that it is now available in foreign countries including Hong Kong.

High meat prices, which had driven export revenue last year, might recede this year due to slow demand and weak economies around the world.

''It is good that our customers are real users, not speculators. So, they still keep buying products, all are daily-need items,'' said Mr Vasit.

''It is necessary to deal with such problems delicately and to visit clients to help them get through current difficulties, and a lengthy credit line is one means of assistance.''

However, the outlook for exports, which represent 25% of Betagro's commercial sales, remains upbeat despite an expected decline in prices, especially for chicken, by 15-20%