
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, May 13, 1994                   TAG: 9405130088
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A11   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: SMITHFIELD, VA                                 LENGTH: Short

SMITHFIELD CUTS DEAL WITH SUMITOMO

Japanese consumers will get to taste pork from Smithfield Foods Inc. under a distribution agreement announced Thursday with the Sumitomo Corp.

The deal also means $25 million in new construction at the company's state-of-the-art Bladen County, N.C. processing plant. The expansion is due for completion in October.

Sales under the Sumitomo agreement are expected to exceed $200 million over three years, said Joseph W. Luter III, chairman, president and chief executive of Smithfield Foods.

Sumitomo is one of Japan's largest meat importers, distributors and grocery retailers.

by CNB