euro adhoc: AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG / other / AGRANA´s Pischelsdorf bioethanol plant starts trial operation on schedule - Ethanol supply for blend in Austria beginning October 1 is secure - Commodity b

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Company Information/Bioethanol

17.09.2007

AGRANA will complete the investment stage of the new bioethanol plant
in Pischelsdorf, Lower Austria, at the end of September as planned.
Following this, the facility will be tested over a trial period of
several weeks to verify the proper functioning of all processes.
Subsequently, however, the plant will be shut down until the
commissioning, which is now scheduled only for the spring of 2008.
This decision was reached in response to the recent upward surge in
prices for wheat and corn (maize) in international commodity markets.

Despite this decision, AGRANA will fully meet all supply obligations.
As an interim solution, the volumes in question (required especially
for the 4.4% bioethanol component in blended automotive fuel in
Austria from October 1, 2007 onward) will be provided by other Group
companies.

The deferral of regular-scale production in Pischelsdorf will have no
substantial effect on this fiscal year´s (2007|08) earnings situation
at the AGRANA Group. This year´s costs are in line with expectations
and will require no additional provisions.

Wheat prices have soared in the past weeks and are currently at EUR
265 per tonne. By comparison, wheat averaged about EUR 133 per tonne
in the financial year 2006|07 and EUR 107 in 2005|06. Corn quotations
too are at a record level of EUR 246 per tonne in Europe. That is
about 70% higher than the average in 2006|07 and almost 100% higher
than in 2005|06. Next to continual worldwide growth in demand, the
foremost causes of these price jumps are temporary factors such as
weather-related regional crop failures that lead to physical supply
shortages in Europe, as well as speculation on international
commodity exchanges.

As the average grain surpluses of the European Union structurally
exceed the grain requirements for bioethanol production in Europe,
AGRANA - particularly amid the EU´s planned scrapping of the 10%
set-aside scheme - expects a corresponding increase in grain acreage
and production in Europe, and thus a price decrease. This trend
reversal should be amplified by average yields under normal weather
conditions. AGRANA therefore plans to commission the plant
operationally in the spring of 2008.

This press release is also available at www.agrana.com.

end of announcement euro adhoc 17.09.2007 07:24:10
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ots Originaltext: AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Further inquiry note:
AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG
Doris Schober
Investor Relations/Corporate Communications
Phone: +43-1-211 37-12084
E-mail:investor.relations@agrana.at

Branche: Food
ISIN: AT0000603709
WKN: 779535
Index: ATX Prime, WBI
Börsen: Wiener Börse AG / official market