EANS-News: AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG / AGRANA achieves record results in 2010|11 - Dividend to increase to EUR 2.40 per share

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annual result

Wien (euro adhoc) - Revenue of AGRANA, the global sugar, starch and
fruit group, grew by 8.9% in the 2010|11 financial year to EUR
2,165.9 million (prior year: EUR 1,989.2 million). The recent years´
focused investment in production capacity set the stage for the
significantly higher sales volumes in all business segments.
Operating profit before exceptional items was expanded in every
segment, by 39.4% overall to EUR 128.1 million (prior year: EUR 91.9
million). A major challenge in the year completed was the pronounced
volatility in world market prices for raw materials.

Net financial items (the balance of finance income and expense)
amounted to a net expense of EUR 19.0 million (prior year: net income
of EUR 0.5 million), attributable mainly to the net interest
component. After a tax expense of EUR 22.4 million (representing an
effective tax rate of 20.5%), the Group´s profit for the period was
EUR 86.7 million (prior year: EUR 72.7 million). The profit for the
period attributable to shareholders of AGRANA grew to EUR 84.5
million (prior year: EUR 72.2 million); earnings per share were thus
EUR 5.95 (prior year: EUR 5.08).

AGRANA further improved its capital structure in 2010|11. Equity at
the end of the financial year was EUR 970.7 million (prior year: EUR
904.7 million) and the equity ratio increased to 48.7% (prior year:
47.9%). The gearing ratio of net debt to equity improved further, to
39.4% (prior year: 41.6%).

AGRANA - IFRS results

Q4 2010|11 Q4 2009|10 FY 2010|11 FY 2009|10
Revenue EUR 541.5 m EUR 453.4 m EUR 2,165.9 m EUR 1,989.2 m
Operating profit before
exceptional items (EBIT) EUR 23.3 m EUR 13.0 m EUR 128.1 m EUR 91.9 m
Operating margin
before exceptional items 4.3 % 2.9 % 5.9 % 4.6 %
Profit before tax EUR 24.6 m EUR 13.4 m EUR 109.1 m EUR 87.4 m
Profit for the period EUR 21.7 m EUR 14.9 m EUR 86.7 m EUR 72.7 m
Earnings per share EUR 1.52 EUR 1.04 EUR 5.95 EUR 5.08
Purchases of property,
plant and equipment and
intangibles (1) EUR 27.9 m EUR 22.9 m EUR 55.9 m EUR 48.4 m
Staff count (average) 8,243 7,927
(1) Excluding goodwill

AGRANA Chief Executive Officer Johann Marihart says: "In a year made
challenging by the extremely volatile world market prices, AGRANA has
delivered very attractive results. This demonstrates the
appropriateness of our investments in the last several years and
shows that we took the right strategic and organisational measures.
Exploiting synergies between our business activities was and remains
a key factor in our sustained success. The Management Board´s outlook
for AGRANA is positive, and at the Annual General Meeting on 1 July
we will therefore propose to shareholders a dividend increase from
EUR 1.95 to EUR 2.40 per share."

Sugar segment

Q4 2010|11 Q4 2009|10 FY 2010|11 FY 2009|10
Revenue EUR 153.0 m EUR 136.4 m EUR 713.1 m EUR 684.1 m
Operating profit
before exceptional items EUR 7.1 m (EUR 4.0 m) EUR 33.1 m EUR 15.2 m
Operating margin
before exceptional items 4.6 % neg. 4.6 % 2.2 %

Revenue in the Sugar segment rose in 2010|11, by EUR 29.0 million or 4.2% to EUR
713.1 million (prior year: EUR 684.1 million). The Sugar segment earned an
operating profit of EUR 33.1 million before exceptional items, significantly

above the prior-year level of EUR 15.2 million. The key reason was
the good sales volume situation in non-quota sugar and also in
co-products.

Starch segment

Q4 2010|11 Q4 2009|10 F Y 2010|11 FY 2009|10
Revenue EUR 158.6 m EUR 118.8 m EUR 583.2 m EUR 499.2 m
Operating profit
before exceptional items EUR 4.7 m EUR 6.8 m EUR 48.2 m EUR 41.1 m
Operating margin
before exceptional items 3.0 % 5.7 % 8.3 % 8.2 %

The Starch segment´s revenue growth of EUR 84.0 million or 16.8% in
the 2010|11 financial year to EUR 583.2 million (prior year: EUR
499.2 million) was propelled most of all by higher sales quantities
in every major group of core and co- products. Operating profit rose
by EUR 7.1 million or 17.3% to EUR 48.2 million (prior year: EUR 41.1
million). Through sales price increases in the second half of
2010|11, the segment was largely able to offset the higher raw
material prices that prevailed from late summer onwards. In
bioethanol, AGRANA achieved both higher sales volumes and market
prices for ethanol and co-products.

Fruit segment

Q4 2010|11 Q4 2009|10 FY 2010|11 FY 2009|10
Revenue EUR 229.9 m EUR 198.2 m EUR 869.6 m EUR 805.9 m
Operating profit
before exceptional items EUR 11.3 m EUR 10.3 m EUR 46.7 m EUR 35.7 m
Operating margin
before exceptional items 4.9 % 5.2 % 5.4 % 4.4 %

Revenue in the Fruit segment rose by EUR 63.7 million or 7.9% in 2010|11, to EUR
869.6 million (prior year: EUR 805.9 million). The segment´s operating profit of
EUR 46.7 million before exceptional items was up by EUR 11.0 million or 30.8%
from the prior-year level. The operating margin in the Fruit segment widened to
5.4% (prior year: 4.4%). The reasons for this positive trend were the volume
growth in fruit preparations and the strong volume sales in the concentrate
business, later combined with a favourable market price rise for concentrates as
a result of the limited supply of raw materials. Growth was strongest in
Eastern Europe, Asia and North America. In fruit juice concentrates, revenue
expanded, driven by significant price increases in the concentrate market and
higher sales quantities.

Outlook

For the current 2011|12 financial year, after the record revenue in
2010|11, AGRANA expects further growth. The Group´s pre-exceptionals
operating profit, which rose significantly last year, is also to be
expanded further in 2011|12.

After three years of investment below the rate of depreciation,
AGRANA plans to increase capital expenditure in 2011|12 to about EUR
100 million to support the Group´s long-term growth trajectory.

This press release and the report on AGRANA 2010|11 financial
year are available in German and English on the Internet at
www.agrana.com.

end of announcement euro adhoc
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company: AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG
Donau-City-Straße 9
A-1220 Wien
phone: +43-1-21137-0
FAX: +43-1-21137-12045
mail: info.ab@agrana.com
WWW: www.agrana.com
sector: Food
ISIN: AT0000603709
indexes: WBI, ATX Prime
stockmarkets: Präsenzhandel: Berlin, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, official market: Wien
language: English

ots Originaltext: AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Further inquiry note:

Investor Realtions:
Mag. (FH) Hannes Haider
Tel.: 01-21137-12905
hannes.haider@agrana.com

Public Relations:
Mag. Ulrike Middelhoff
Tel.: 01-21137-12084
ulrike.middelhoff@agrana.com

Branche: Food
ISIN: AT0000603709
WKN: 779535
Index: WBI, ATX Prime
Börsen: Berlin / Präsenzhandel
Frankfurt / Präsenzhandel
Stuttgart / Präsenzhandel
Wien / official market