Battle for milk
OPINION: Fonterra may be on the verge of selling its consumer business in New Zealand, but the co-operative is not keen on giving any ground to its competitors in the country.
The co-op today confirmed that it has achieved record sales and revenues from its two August GlobalDairyTrade (GDT) auctions.
Fonterra achieved its highest-ever monthly revenue through GDT in August, selling 109,664 metric tonnes, worth $685 million.
Chief executive, Theo Spierings,says the past two GDT events show continued confidence in its products and strong demand from many of the key markets.
"Our August GDT sales volume was up 27% on the same time last year, and revenue more than doubled, up 107%."
The co-op is facing a government inquiry over its handling of the recent botulism scare involving whey protein concentrate (WPC80). It is also facing trade bans in several key markets around the world, including China.
Commenting on Fonterra's current forecast for a 15% decline in its product volumes on GDT over the next 12 months, Spierings says that this reflects Fonterra's strategy of moving from being commodities-driven to a more value-added, higher-margin products business.
