During this year’s annual meeting, Klaus Josef Lutz, Chief Executive Officer Klaus of BayWa emphasized the significance of the international trading and services group’s growth strategy. For the first time the share of BayWa’s international agriculture and renewable energies business in the operating EBIT rose above 55% in 2015. The BayWa Group generated earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) of €158.1 million (2014: €152.1 million). The prices of raw materials hit a multi-year low and led to a price-related decline in revenues. As a result, revenues fell by 1.8 percent to €14.9 billion (2014: €15.2 billion). The shareholders decided to raise the dividend from €0.80 to €0.85 per share during this annual meeting.
The EBIT improvement in the financial year 2015 was due above all to an exceptionally good result achieved in the German and international project business for renewable energies as well as the continued internationalization of the agriculture segment especially in the fruit sector. “These developments compensated for the difficult development on the agricultural market in Germany,” stated Klaus Josef Lutz. He urged the politicians, to assist with the German agriculture in finding export opportunities on the growing markets in Asia, since it is not possible, for example, to export agricultural products to China. Lutz stated: “Trade agreements are the key.” Even if the "wake-up call" activates the German politicians other European countries already have a head start. To gain access to these growing markets BayWa acquired other companies, from New Zealand the Chinese and other Asian markets can be reached successfully.
BayWa continues to expand its international agricultural business. BayWa recently expanded its range with tropical fruits for the German food retail industry through the acquisition of TFC Holland B.V. in the Netherlands. The international malting barley trader Evergrain is now a part of BayWa and brought trading connections with more than 35 countries to BayWa. “We want to expand and focus on this specialty market,” emphasized Lutz.
For more information:
Marion DanneboomBayWa AG
Phone: 089/9222-3680
marion.danneboom@baywa.de
www.baywa.de