Latest news with #FrieslandCampina
Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
FrieslandCampina to sell Romania operations to Bonafarm Group
Dutch dairy cooperative FrieslandCampina has agreed to sell its operations in Romania to Bonafarm Group. Financial terms were not disclosed. The deal includes FrieslandCampina's stake in the entity in Romania that owns the Napolact brand. Just Food asked for further details. It also covers two production sites in Cluj-Napoca and Târgu Mureș as well as approximately 400 employees. In a statement, the owner of Campina, Friesche Vlag, and Dutch Lady brands said the deal aligns with its strategy to focus on 'core markets, high value-added growth segments' and 'synergies across the company'. FrieslandCampina said it wants to concentrate on markets where milk from its member dairy farmers can be 'optimally valorised'. Despite holding a leading position in the local dairy market, the Romanian operations offer 'limited synergy' with FrieslandCampina's Europe portfolio, the dairy group said. Bonafarm Group is expected to provide 'capable' management for the Romanian business, it added. According to Dustin Woodward, president of FrieslandCampina's operations in Europe, the decision was 'not taken lightly'. He added: 'This step enables us to better align the European portfolio with our strategy to maximise the value of FrieslandCampina member milk, allowing us to focus our resources more effectively.' The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals, including clearance from the Romanian Competition Authorities, and is anticipated to close by the end of December. Attila Csányi, the CEO of Bonafarm Group, said there is a 'great opportunity to build the company and the Napolact brand together in the future', with plans to 'invest in the increased capacity of the facilities'. Last week, FrieslandCampina warned the dairy giant's profits are expected to come under pressure in the back half of the year due to external factors. Despite a 6.4% increase in revenue to €6.8bn ($7.9bn) and a 25.7% rise in net profit to €230m in the first half of 2025, the company noted several 'headwinds'. 'Consumer confidence is low worldwide, which will impact volumes. Currency developments are expected to have a negative effect, and commodity dairy markets are becoming less favourable. These factors will lead to a lower profitability,' FrieslandCampina said in a statement. In December, FrieslandCampina signed a framework agreement for a merger with its Belgian peer Milcobel. The proposed business combination would result in pro-forma revenues exceeding €14bn, with operations in 30 countries, employing almost 22,000 staff, and processing around 10 billion kg of milk. "FrieslandCampina to sell Romania operations to Bonafarm Group" was originally created and published by Just Food, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
28-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
FrieslandCampina profits rise but pressures flagged for back half
FrieslandCampina has warned the dairy giant's profits are expected to come under pressure in the back half of the year due to external factors. After notching up a 6.4% increase in revenue to €6.8bn ($7.9bn) in the first six months of 2025 and taking net profit up by 25.7% to €230m, the Netherlands-headquartered dairy cooperative flagged a raft of 'headwinds'. 'Consumer confidence is low worldwide, which will impact volumes. Currency developments are expected to have a negative effect, and commodity dairy markets are becoming less favourable. These factors will lead to a lower profitability,' FrieslandCampina said in a statement. An offsetting factor is the co-op's internal savings programme, which is 'on track to deliver at the upper end' of an annual range of €400-500m, the company, which entered a merger agreement with Belgium peer Milcobel late last year, added. FrieslandCampina said first-half volumes were 'lower' than the corresponding period of 2024 with the revenue increase supported by 'higher selling prices' linked to inflation and elevated milk prices. Meanwhile, operating profit rose 20.6% to €363m due to 'strong performances in its Specialised Nutrition and Ingredients divisions. 'FrieslandCampina delivered strong results in the first half of 2025. The balanced spread of our business across markets, products, and channels demonstrates to prove its value,' CEO Jan Derck van Karnebeek said. 'The ongoing economic uncertainty is expected to put pressure on profit in the second half of 2025, resulting in a lower outcome. We continue to build on a future in which we create value for our members, consumers and customers, while at the same time contributing to a more sustainable world.' FrieslandCampina has yet to provide an update on the merger proceedings with Milcobel announced in December, when the two parties said a firm proposal would emerge in the first half of this year. Any deal, however, will still require approval from the relevant competition authorities. Just Food has asked FrieslandCampina for an update on proceedings. The cooperatives said at the time that a business combination would result in pro-forma revenues of more than €14bn, with operations in 30 countries employing almost 22,000 staff and processing capabilities of around ten billion kilograms of milk. Meanwhile, FrieslandCampina said in its results statement that milk supply from its farmer members fell 1.6% in the first half from a year earlier to 4.6bn kilograms. 'This was mainly due to farm closures resulting from an ageing population of farmers and ongoing uncertainty in the sector. In the first half of 2025, new members were successfully recruited who will make a significant contribution to the milk supply,' the co-op explained. The guaranteed price of milk paid to farmers increased 19.6% to €55.63 per 100 kilograms. "FrieslandCampina profits rise but pressures flagged for back half" was originally created and published by Just Food, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Recorder
25-06-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Dairy sector urges govt to reduce ST on milk
ISLAMABAD: The formal dairy sector has requested the government to reduce sales tax on milk from 18 percent to 5 percent, through amendments in Finance Bill (2025-26), which will grow volumes up to 20 percent and increase in revenue collection by 22 percent per annum. Pakistan Dairy Association (PDA) briefed media here on Tuesday that the reduction is crucial because since imposition of tax in July 2024, volumes have declined by 20 percent and governments expected revenue collection is not likely to be achieved. The remarks were made during a media briefing held in Islamabad, attended by representatives from Friesland Campina, Tetra Pak, and Nestlé Pakistan. The industry has offered to reduce the milk prices by Rs50 for consumers if sales tax is brought down from 18 to 5 percent in budget (2025-26). It also proposed a little tax on informal sector which is paying nothing in the form of taxes to the national kitty. The industry is paying 18 percent sales tax, 4 percent further sales tax, 2.5 percent advance withholding tax on sales to un-registered persons as well as Super Tax on direct taxes sides. The PDA argued that lower taxation would not only make milk affordable and safe for the public but also revitalize the formal sector, restore investments in farmer development, and increase government revenue. Speakers emphasized that milk is considered as a zero-rated, essential food item worldwide and in more than 100 countries it is either tax exempted or subject to very little taxation including Bangladesh, India, Europe, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and many others. They claimed that even among countries backed by the IMF, Pakistan's 18% GST on dairy is highest in the world. Talking about the challenges faced by the dairy industry in Pakistan, Usman Zaheer Ahmad, Chairman PDA claimed that, 'Due to the current taxation 20% of workers have been laid off, processing facilities are running at less than 50% capacity. Now, there is a significant risk to the nation's $30 billion dairy export potential.' The formal dairy industry has experienced a 20% decrease in milk volumes since its implementation in July 2024, which forces the industry to purchase much less from farmers. This has caused 35% of registered farmers to enter the unregulated, informal milk trade and resulted in the closure of 500 milk collection centers. 'We used to invest Rs1.3 billion annually on farmer development. Today, that support is gone,' said Dr Muhammad Nasir, Head of Corporate Affairs Pakistan at Friesland Campina. Common households are being directly impacted by the tax; the cost of packaged milk has increased from Rs280 to Rs350 per litre, making it the most expensive food item in many households. The demand has decreased by more than 20% as a result. According to the experts, 91% of milk produced in the unorganized sector does not pass compliance inspections. Dr Shehzad Amin, CEO, PDA stressed that it is unsafe to consume half of the milk, in light of the pervasiveness of malnutrition, the safe milk is a fundamental right and needs to be kept within the means of low- and middle-income families. Experts brought to attention that despite the Punjab Pasteurization Act of 2017 in place, which requires safe milk practices, we do not see implementation. Noor Aftab, Director Corporate Affairs Pakistan and MENA, Tetra Pak, questioned the rationale behind taxing the only industry making an effort to maintain public health and regulate quality. Despite these challenges, Pakistan's dairy export potential remains high. In 2023, the country exported$15 million worth of dairy products. In 2024, exports rose to $35 million, primarily to the Middle East, Africa, and the United States. 'We are meeting global standards. The same products we export are sold locally. Yet, we face the highest utility costs, lowest scale, and the most punitive taxation,' stated Imran Husain, Deputy Managing Director, Friesland Campina. With a fair tax environment and consistent government support, PDA expects the potential revenue from a formalized milk sector could multiply exponentially. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Wire
10-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
SqlDBM Announces MCP Server Release and Growing Databricks Partnership Live at Data + AI Summit 2025
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SqlDBM, the leading cloud-native data modeling platform for the enterprise, today announces the release of its Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server live at Databricks Data + AI Summit 2025. This powerful component makes it easier for data teams to expose their structured data models and metadata in formats that large language models (LLMs) and generative AI tools can access. The company is committed to bringing organizations closer to governed and context-aware AI. 'What makes this moment especially exciting is how data modeling is now playing an ever more critical role in creating trusted and accurate AI models" Share The announcement coincides with SqlDBM achieving Validated Partner status with Databricks, deepening a multi-year partnership focused on helping enterprise data teams scale modern analytics and AI efforts with trusted, well-structured data. 'What makes this moment especially exciting is how data modeling is now playing an ever more critical role in creating trusted and accurate AI models,' said Serge Gershkovich, Head of Product at SqlDBM. 'It's a privilege to be on the front lines with Databricks and to learn about the cutting-edge use cases in AI while supporting our joint customers throughout their journey.' Joint customers are already seeing results from the Databricks + SqlDBM ecosystem. 'SqlDBM has fundamentally streamlined our data modeling process in the Databricks environment,' said Ansel D'Souza, Data Modelling Capability Lead at FrieslandCampina. 'It's enabled us to iterate faster, stay aligned across teams, and maintain a clear, living blueprint of our data architecture.' Attendees of the Data + AI Summit 2025 can visit SqlDBM at Booth #513 to meet data modeling experts and see live product demos. For more information, visit or the Databricks Data + AI Summit 2025 official website. SqlDBM is the leading cloud data modeling platform for the enterprise, empowering data teams to design, standardize, and document their structured data for scalable analytics. Trusted by global enterprises and recognized as ' Database Modeling Solution of the Year 2024 ' by Data Breakthrough Awards, SqlDBM integrates seamlessly with cloud data platforms like Databricks, Snowflake, and Google BigQuery.
Business Recorder
30-04-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
PM extends support for investments in value-added dairy sector
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday extended full support for investments aimed at enhancing the value-added dairy sector, assuring a promising future for dairy entrepreneurs in the country. While talking to a delegation led by Jan Derck Van Karnebeek, Global CEO of Royal FrieslandCampina and Engro Pakistan, he emphasised that Pakistan is committed to collaborating with companies such as FrieslandCampina to develop the dairy sector. 'We will encourage initiatives that focus on improving the safety and nutritional value of milk to boost dairy product exports,' he added. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
