SÃO PAULO — JBS SA announced on April 12 that it plans to double the processing capacity and workforce at its Campo Grande II facility in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, which will make it the largest beef plant in Brazil.

According to JBS, the company plans to invest $150 million reals ($28.45 million) in the upgrades and eventually be able to slaughter 4,400 cattle per day. It will also increase the number of employees from 2,300 to 4,600.

The news of expansion comes after JBS made its first beef shipment from the plant to China. The Campo Grande II facility is one of 38 authorized by the Chinese government during March for trade.

“These 38 qualifications for China mean a gigantic step for Brazilian agribusiness,” said Gilberto Tomazoni, global chief executive officer of JBS. “They mean growth, job creation and income — for industry, for the countryside, for people, for commerce, for cities. Many countries operate in many countries around the world and none of them are today as attractive as Brazil to invest in agribusiness.”

The meat producer recently held a ceremony celebrating the expansion, which included Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

JBS noted in a news release that before the Chinese government released its list, Brazil featured 106 plants that qualified to export to China. The company said that Brazil now has 144 facilities that fit the criteria.

The state of Mato Grosso Do Sul, which is where the expanded facility sits, only had three beef processing facilities that were authorized to ship to China. That number has now grown to nine. JBS said the state can now ship the volume equivalent of 2.3 million animals, an increase of 1.87 million.

The Campo Grande II building was built in 2007 and acquired by JBS in 2010. The plant can also export items to the United States, Algeria, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, the European Union and Chile along with other countries.