Indian Dairy Companies Lured to Africa by Higher Margins
The demand for dairy products has surged in East Africa amid a rapid rise in income levels and urbanization. This market scenario has resulted in aggressive takeovers in the region by local milk producers as they seek to consolidate and increase market share. It's also caught the attention of global dairy giants seeking acquisitions to gain en
Read moreItaly’s Ferrero Buys UK Chocolate Maker, Thorntons for US$178 Million
In a rare move, designed to further its expansion into Europe’s biggest confectionary market, Italian global chocolate giant, Ferrero, has agreed to acquire UK chocolate maker, Thorntons for £112 million (US$178 million). This is the first deal for the family-owned Ferrero International since the death earlier this year of Mich
Read moreAdvantage Capital Adopts Selective Strategy for Maiden Agri Fund (Premium Content)
By Gerelyn Terzo Advantage Capital Partners, with dual headquarters in St. Louis, Mo. and New Orleans, La., recently reached oversubscribed status with $154.5 million for Advantage Capital Argibusiness Partners, LP, the firm’s maiden agriculture fund, in a single round of financing. Advantage Capital targeted $150 million. &n
Read moreFrieslandCampina, Huishan Dairy Establish Chinese Infant Formula Joint Venture
On March 25 the proposed joint venture between FrieslandCampina and Huishan Dairy was granted approval by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, and on April 1 the two companies officially established Friesland Huishan Dairy – their 50/50 joint venture that will own and operate Huishan Dairy’s Xuishui production plant near Shenyang. Under th
Read moreChinese Food Giant, COFCO, Exploring Deals In U.S.
In a few short years COFCO, or China National Cereals, Oils & Foodstuff Corp., has spent billions acquiring global agricultural assets making it one of the biggest food companies in the world with food processing assets on five continents. The company has grown beyond grain to include involvement in all stages of China’s food supply, fro
Read moreMonsanto Profit Falls, But Less Sharply Than Wall St. Expected
It has been widely expected by industry analysts that due to the drop in global corn acreage, Monsanto will post a decline in quarterly profits on March 31. While it is true that Monsanto posted a 34% drop in quarterly profits as a result of a reduction in corn acreage in South America and a change in the timing of some sales, the drop was les
Read moreFrench Firm Cémoi to Open Chocolate Factory in Cote D’Ivoire
The French firm, Cémoi is opening a chocolate factory in Cote D’Ivoire, making the rare decision to produce chocolate at its point of origin in a cocoa origin country. The new factory, which will be adjacent to Cémoi’s cocoa processing plant in Yopougon, close to the country’s capital, will have the capacity to produce 5,000 tons of
Read moreQatar Plans Chicken IPO in 2015 to Resolve Poultry Meat Shortage
Qatar’s government plans to lease 5.7 million meters of land to develop a chicken farm that will have an annual capacity to produce 45 million kilograms, or 99 million pounds of chicken meat by 2018. The farm will be backed by Qatari investors who have already committed US$206 million to the project and an initial public offering could be po
Read moreIndia Gradually Acquires a Taste for Wine
There is much progress to be made, but there exists a huge potential for the nascent domestic wine industry in India which is expanding at 13% annually. As increasing numbers of Indian consumers enter the middle class many upwardly mobile consumers are gaining a taste for wine as societal taboos about alcohol consumption are receding. India’
Read moreChina’s Corn Import Curbs ‘May Be Just The Start’
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) foreign staff forecasts that Chinese imports of U.S. corn will be at a four-year low of 2.5 million tons for 2014/15 as a result of Beijing refusing shipments from the U.S. over claims that they contain genetically modified strains that have been approved in Washington, DC, but not Beijing as o
Read more
