Latest news with #agrifood
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
ADM to close Brazil pet-food plant amid cost-cutting
ADM is to shut manufacturing plant in Brazil, marking the end of its production of pet food in the country. The US agri-food giant is closing its site in Três Corações in the eastern state of Minas Gerais. The facility supplies branded pet-food products as well as livestock and aqua feed. "We will no longer have dedicated pet manufacturing facilities in Brazil. Our pet business in other countries and regions will continue," the company said in a statement. "ADM is always assessing its portfolio as we focus globally on strategic simplification to ensure we're operating the right assets to meet customer needs, achieve our returns objectives, and be the most effective operator of each part of the business. "After exploring a wide variety of alternatives, we've determined that our Três Corações facility and related businesses and assets no longer align with our future operational needs." Around 750 staff work at the facility, who, along with around 150 employees at other, undisclosed locations, will be affected by the closure, ADM confirmed. In February, ADM outlined plans to save $500-700m over the next five years through lower manufacturing costs, cuts in purchased materials and job losses. The company pointed to "ongoing market challenges, including global legislative and regulatory policy uncertainty". In 2024, ADM generated $85.5bn in revenue, an 8.9% decrease from 2023. Operating profit fell 28.8% to $4.2bn, and net profit decreased 47% to $1.8bn. In the first quarter of 2025, ADM reported $20.17bn in revenue, down 7.6% from Q1 2024. Net earnings attributable to ADM plunged 59.5% to $295m and total segment operating profit was $747m, down 38% versus the prior year quarter "ADM to close Brazil pet-food plant amid cost-cutting " 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.
Zawya
2 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Integrating youth in agrifood systems transformation in Zimbabwe
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the Government of Zimbabwe launched a technical cooperation programme to enhance national capacity to support meaningful youth engagement in agrifood systems through policy support, leadership development and institutional strengthening. FAO provides technical support to the Government of Zimbabwe to ensure that youth are meaningfully integrated into agrifood systems as key actors in productivity, innovation, and food security. This project builds upon the experiences of the FAO in Zimbabwe including the Green Jobs for Rural Youth Employment. It represents a crucial step in addressing the youth-related knowledge and skills and policy gaps identified in previous initiatives. FAO highlights the urgency of creating 10–12 million new jobs annually in Africa and positions agrifood systems especially given their rapid growth and high potential for value addition as key to unlocking youth employment. Drawing on FAO Investment Guidelines for Youth in Agrifood Systems, the approach emphasizes integrating youth perspectives throughout the project cycle. The approach encourages recognizing youth as a diverse group with varied needs, capacities, and aspirations, and calls for collaboration among public, private, and civil society actors to create enabling environments. 'This project is set to inform and shape future priorities for collaboration between the Government of Zimbabwe and FAO on youth-related matters. By fostering this collaboration, the project aims to create an enabling environment that supports more effective interventions for youth engagement in agrifood systems, ultimately empowering young people to take a leading role in transforming these systems for the better,' said Patrice Talla, FAO Subregional Coordinator for Southern Africa and Representative to Zimbabwe. This milestone comes at an opportune time when the country is starting to operationalize the second phase of the Agriculture and Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy (AFSRTS 2.0) with a particular focus on mainstreaming and integrating youth in agrifood systems. 'Mainstreaming youth is not an optional add-on; it is the fundamental strategy for achieving resilient, productive, and transformed agrifood systems and rural communities. The Government of Zimbabwe will provide visionary leadership, enact enabling policies, prioritize budget allocation for youth mainstreaming initiatives within Strategy 2.0, and ensure coordination across ministries,' said Mr. Jairos Mandizadza, Director – Gender Mainstreaming, Inclusivity and Wellness in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development in his keynote address. As part of its commitment to enhancing youth participation in Zimbabwe's agrifood systems, the FAO-led project will initiate a consultative and participatory process to support the development of a comprehensive national strategy that integrate youth issues. The approach is designed to engage a wide spectrum of stakeholders, from primary producers to tertiary institutions and development partners while ensuring that the strategy is grounded in local realities and informed by diverse perspectives. As the project gains momentum, young people across Zimbabwe are expressing optimism and a renewed sense of purpose. 'With this project we are energised, motivated, by being heard, valued, seen and more importantly included, we are no longer participants but change makers and this proves that there is nothing for us which can be done without us,' said Getrude Chambati, Secretary for the World Food Forum Zimbabwe Chapter. The process of project implementation will include a combination of face-to-face stakeholder consultations, strategic planning meetings, and a desk review of existing work by other partners in the sector. This blended methodology will ensure that the strategy builds on past efforts while introducing fresh, youth-centred insights. The project ultimately aims to support Zimbabwe in formulating a National Youth Investment Plan and a Youth-inclusive Agrifood Systems Strategy, laying the groundwork for sustainable and inclusive agricultural transformation. The inception meeting provided the platform to key stakeholders, including youths to review and provide input on how the draft AFSRTS 2 can integrate more youths issues. This was achieved through breakout sessions where participants were put into groups to review and update pillars of the AFSRTS 2. During the launch key stakeholders had the opportunity to appreciate the current youth in agrifood systems frameworks and policies at national, regional and international levels. Going forward, the project is poised to play a transformative role in shaping Zimbabwe's agrifood landscape by supporting the development of a robust national strategy and targeted investment plans for youth. By enhancing the capacity and skills of both young people and agriculture ministry personnel, FAO is committed to strengthening governance and leadership frameworks that support youth inclusion. This marks a pivotal step toward building a more resilient, inclusive, and future-ready agrifood system, driven by the energy, innovation, and potential of Zimbabwe's youth. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): Regional Office for Africa.
Zawya
14-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Africa-Asia dialogue on agrifood systems transformation to open in Viet Nam
Agriculture ministers and top-level policymakers from 14 African countries will meet with their counterparts from three Asian countries in Hanoi on 15 July 2025 to discuss making agrifood production more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable to reduce high levels of hunger, malnutrition and poverty in both regions. The High-Level Inter-regional Knowledge Exchange on One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) Models, co-organized by the Government of Viet Nam and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is the first intercontinental dialogue on agrifood systems transformation, guided by the FAO 'Four Betters' vision – Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment and a Better Life, leaving no one behind. The dialogue is an initiative of FAO Director-General QU Dongyu to familiarize developing countries in Africa with Viet Nam's success in agrifood systems transformation, which is helping reduce wide urban-rural economic disparities in the Southeast Asian nation. The event includes an exchange of national experiences in implementing FAO's flagship One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative, which was launched in 2021 to promote sustainable value chains of special agricultural products with unique geographical and cultural traits. 'We look forward to this exchange of knowledge and ideas, and to learn together how to transform agrifood systems for the benefit of all,' said Alue Dohong, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, in a video message ahead of the event. 'This special event in Viet Nam offers a critical opportunity for Africa and Asia to learn from one another. Sharing knowledge, exchanging experiences, and building partnerships are vital to overcoming the common challenges we face, building on each other's successes, and ensuring no one is left behind,' said Abebe Haile-Gabriel, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa in his video message. Ministers and top agriculture officials from Bhutan, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Nepal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tunisia, Viet Nam, Zambia and Zimbabwe, will share national perspectives on promoting the Four Betters through the OCOP initiative. Producing more food with less inputs, making agriculture climate-resilient, sustainable and profitable for all, is critical for both Africa and Asia and the Pacific, the regions with the world's highest levels of hunger, malnutrition and poverty. Viet Nam's agrifood transformation model The inter-regional knowledge exchange will begin with a briefing on Viet Nam's transformative One Commune One Product programme, a cornerstone of the country's rural economic development strategy, and an inspiration for FAO's OCOP initiative. Launched nationwide in 2018, it has significantly increased rural incomes and jobs by developing sustainable value chains for local specialties and traditional products. The programme provides comprehensive support for capacity building, product development, quality management and market access, to the rural manufacturers of these special products. The OCOP Four Betters Models The agriculture ministers from Africa will also be briefed on how FAO is leveraging science and innovation to accelerate agrifood systems transformation through OCOP implementation in the Asia-Pacific region, in support of the Four Betters. Strategic partnerships with leading science and innovation centres in the region are enhancing value chains of special agricultural products (SAPs) identified by member countries under the OCOP initiative. This includes the application of an innovative geographical and environmental traceability tool that will increase access of SAPs to high-end markets and incentivize sustainable production. Nutrition science and technology is also being used for SAPs-based food product development, suited to different age groups and tastes. In addition, OCOP implementation is supporting Asia-Pacific countries with market intelligence to integrate SAPs into national, regional and international markets. Strengthening the FAO-Viet Nam partnership The inter-regional exchange further cements the FAO-Viet Nam partnership, anchored in Viet Nam's active role in the FAO South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) framework. This was reaffirmed by the signing of an FAO-Viet Nam Memorandum of Understanding, during the FAO Director-General's visit to Hanoi in February 2025, to promote the sharing of technical knowhow, and institutional and policy experiences under the SSTC framework. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): Regional Office for Africa.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
JR Simplot to buy potato-products peer Clarebout Potatoes
US agri-food group JR Simplot has agreed to acquire Belgian potato-processing company Clarebout Potatoes for an undisclosed sum. The deal, which is expected to be finalised by the end of the year, will see 'two market leaders' in the frozen potato products sector join forces, family-owned JR Simplot said in a statement. Clarebout Potatoes, a family-run business based in Nieuwkerke in western Belgium, specialises in producing frozen potato products for private-label customers. With five production sites across Europe, the company employs more than 3,000 people. It has clients in the retail, catering and food-manufacturing sectors. JR Simplot believes the agreement will see the integration of "complementary assets". Combined, the group will have 23 production sites. In the statement announcing the deal, JR Simplot said the acquisition 'provides for the maintenance, and even expansion, of Clarebout Potatoes' assets – staff and production sites – on the European continent'. 'This is an exciting time for Simplot,' Graham Dugdale, the president of JR Simplot's Global Food division, added. 'We are thrilled about the synergy that Clarebout brings to our business, which not only expands our ability to serve the European market but brings together a pair of family-owned companies who align closely in core values and our commitment to customers, employees and the communities where we operate.' Simplot Foods, the group's food division, sells potato products under various brands such as Simplot RoastWorks, Simplot Conquest Fries and Simplot Blue Ribbon Fries. Jan Clarebout, CEO of Clarebout Potatoes, said: 'We could have continued on our own, but the economic reality of the world, and a form of common sense, led us to come together. It is a choice for the future and a sustainable future.' Besides food processing and food brands, JR Simplot operates across various sectors, including phosphate mining and fertiliser manufacturing. The company has operations in the US, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Australia, India and China. "JR Simplot to buy potato-products peer Clarebout Potatoes " 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
Bloomberg
13-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
France's Agri-Food Sector Is Worst Hit by Trump Tariffs
France's agri-food industry is the sector hardest hit by the upheaval from Donald Trump's trade tariffs, a survey by the country's central bank showed. Business leaders in agriculture and food processing reported an average 2.6% negative impact on activity from both the direct and indirect effects of levies, including uncertainty, possible retaliation and cheaper Chinese imports.
