Fonterra on track for divestment despite global market turmoil
Despite the turmoil in global markets, Fonterra is continuing with a dual track process to divest its multi-billion dollars consumer businesses.
Thailand Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has met with Fonterra Chairman John Wilson for a tour of a South Auckland dairy farm and also visited the company's Te Rapa manufacturing site.
Fonterra say the visit was an opportunity for Wilson to further strengthen the company's relationship with Thailand, where it is the number one supplier of dairy ingredients.
Wilson says Fonterra was honoured to host Shinawatra and provide her, and the Thai trade delegation with a deeper understanding of their business, and the New Zealand dairy industry.
"Thailand's overall dairy consumption is still relatively low at 20kg per person per year, compared to the world average of 110kg. However, with its increasingly affluent population we expect the demand for dairy products to grow, which makes it an important country for our growth in Asia," says Wilson.
The Thai trade delegation included Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Surapong Tovichakchaikul and 20 Thai agri companies.
After 20 years of milking cows, Northland farmer Greg Collins is ready to step into the governance side of dairy.
For some Canterbury teenagers, their career is being shaped by hands-on experience in a sector they are passionate about - dairy farming.
Dairy farmers will be paying a new levy rate of 4.5c/kgMS - an extra 0.9c/kgMS - to industry-good body DairyNZ from June 1 this year.
The 'atmospheric river' of rain that swept down the country last week almost completely avoided one of the worst drought-affected regions in the country – coastal Taranaki.
Much-needed rain finally arrived in Northland, giving many farmers breathing space to get themselves back on track for next season.
Despite the turmoil in global markets, Fonterra is continuing with a dual track process to divest its multi-billion dollars consumer businesses.
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