“We are open to all strategic opportunities to drive forward the platform's growth ambitions, whether organically or through external options,” the Swiss-based company said in a statement on Monday.
The statement came after Reuters reported on Friday that the company was seeking buyers for its orange juice and fertiliser units, while also looking to spin off its metals and dairy businesses.
“We are fully committed to our juice business,” Louis Dreyfus said. While it is gearing up to increase the “autonomy” of its metals and dairy units, it plans to keep control.
China to boost agricultural production
Featuring among China’s efforts to bolster its economic outlook are plans to boost agricultural production, according to statements released by the official Xinhua News Agency on Monday following the government’s annual Central Economic Work Conference.
The government plans to beef up agricultural production to ensure food security and stable income growth for farmers by modernising infrastructure and technology to improve production capability and quality, Xinhua reported.
Russian proposal to cut wheat export tax
Russia's Agriculture Ministry has proposed that the government cut its wheat export tax amid a drop in prices worldwide, Interfax news agency reported citing First Deputy Agriculture Minister Yevgeny Gromyko.
The cabinet will discuss the proposed reduction in January.
However, the probability of lowering the tax, which went into effect on July 1, is low, Dmitry Rylko, director at the Institute for Agricultural Market Studies, a Moscow-based market researcher, told Bloomberg.
