美国嘉吉入股乌克兰农业巨头

Cargill, the US-based agriculture trading giant, has doled out $200m for a stake in Ukraine’s largest agribusiness holding UkrLandFarming, in a potentially far-reaching deal that sources said would see both groups partner up in future grain exports to China and other growing markets.

总部位于美国的农产品贸易巨头嘉吉(Cargill)已斥资2亿美元入股乌克兰最大的农业综合控股企业UkrLandFarming。该交易可能产生深远影响。消息人士称，该交易将让嘉吉和UkrLandFarming联手发展未来对中国和其他增长中市场的谷物出口。

The deal, for 5 per cent of UkrLandFarming, boosts Cargill’s strong trading presence in one of the world’s most promising agriculture commodity producers. It comes amid reports that China was rejecting imports of genetically modified US corn as it stepped up organic purchases from Ukraine.

UkrLandFarming是全球最具前景的农业大宗商品生产商之一。嘉吉将通过该交易获得UkrLandFarming 5%的股份，强化自身在这家企业中的强大贸易影响力。与此同时有消息称，中国将拒绝进口美国的转基因玉米，加大对乌克兰有机产品的购买。

The transaction puts a value of $4bn on UkrLandFarming, the world’s eighth-largest land cultivator and second-biggest egg producer through its 77 per cent ownership in London-listed Avangardco. The conglomerate was founded and built up in recent years through acquisitions by Oleg Bakhmatyuk, a Ukrainian billionaire.

按照该交易的出价，UkrLandFarming的整体估值为40亿美元。这家由乌克兰亿万富翁奥列格•巴赫马秋克(Oleg Bakhmatyuk)创建、并在近年来通过一系列收购发展壮大起来的农业综合企业，眼下已是世界第8大种植商；此外，通过持有伦敦上市企业Avangardco 77%的股份，UkrLandFarming还是世界第2大鸡蛋生产商。

“The transaction will help Cargill secure long-term supplies from one of Ukraine’s largest farmers, and gives UkrLandFarming a very strong strategic partner that will help them achieve their goals of broadening exports, especially in Asia,” said Nick Piazza, chief executive of SP Advisors investment bank.

投行SP Advisors的首席执行官尼克•皮亚扎(Nick Piazza)表示：“该交易将确保嘉吉能从乌克兰最大的农企那里获得长期供应，并让UkrLandFarming拥有一个非常强大的战略合作伙伴，帮助他们实现扩大出口的目标，尤其是对亚洲的出口。”

Ukraine, which harvested a record corn harvest last year of 29m tonnes, hopes to boost exports this season by some 35 per cent to 18m tonnes, catapulting the eastern European country to the ranks of the world’s top corn exporters. It vies with Argentina for the title of the world’s third-largest corn exporting country.

乌克兰寄望于在本季将出口增加35%左右，达到1800万吨，从而跻身世界头几大玉米出口国之列。这个东欧国家去年玉米收成创下纪录，达到2900万吨。乌克兰目前正在与阿根廷争夺世界第3大玉米出口国之位。

Ukraine made its first corn shipment to China late last year, as part of a $3bn loan-for-corn deal brokered by state companies in both countries.

按照一项价值30亿美元的贷款换玉米协议，乌克兰去年年底首次向中国出口玉米。该协议是在两国的国企撮合下达成的。

Mr Bakhmatyuk said that UkrLandFarming hoped to sell up to 700,000 tonnes of corn to China this season, boosting total annual exports within five years to reach 6m tonnes with one-third destined for Asia.

巴赫马秋克表示，UkrLandFarming希望在本季向中国出口最多70万吨玉米，在5年内将年出口量增至600万吨，其中三分之一将出口至亚洲。

The deal comes amid Ukraine’s deepest political crisis in a decade. Home to some of the world’s richest farming land, it earned the title “Breadbasket of Europe” centuries ago for its ability to feed growing populations.

嘉吉入股UkrLandFarming之际，乌克兰正经历10年来最严重的一次政治危机。乌克兰一些耕地的富饶程度在全球名列前茅，几个世纪以前，这个国家养活不断增加的人口的能力就为其赢得了“欧洲面包篮”的称号。

Cargill opened a Ukrainian operations base in 1991. In recent years it has acquired or built grain silos, sunflower seed processing capacity and an animal feed mill in the country.

嘉吉1991年在乌克兰设立了运营基地。近年来，该公司在乌克兰收购或自建了一些谷仓、葵花籽加工厂以及一家动物饲料厂。

Rival traders, including New York-listed Bunge and Archer Daniels Midland and Swiss-based Glencore, also have businesses in Ukraine.

嘉吉的竞争对手也在乌克兰开展业务，比如纽约上市企业邦吉(Bunge)和ADM公司(Archer Daniels Midland)、以及总部位于瑞士的嘉能可(Glencore)。

A Cargill spokesperson said: “At any given point in time Cargill is investigating a number of business opportunities. We do not comment on rumours or speculation and would only comment as and when these opportunities come to fruition.”

嘉吉的发言人表示：“嘉吉随时都在研判若干商业机遇。我们不就传言或猜测置评，只会在商机有结果时置评。”