EANS-News: AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG /

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quarterly report/9-month report

Wien (euro adhoc) - AGRANA results for first three quarters of
2013|14 - Guidance for full year reaffirmed

In the first three quarters of the 2013|14 financial year, AGRANA
Beteiligungs- AG registered a slight increase in Group revenue from
the prior-year comparative period (up 1.2% to EUR 2,416.9 million).
At EUR 158.6 million, operating profit before exceptional items was
less than the record year-earlier figure (EUR 204.3 million); the
primary reason for the reduction was that selling prices in the Sugar
and Starch segments eased ever since the summer.

"As we expected, our operating profit could not match the excellent
year-ago result, even if the third-quarter operating margin improved
compared to the second quarter. In the quarter under review, in
November, AGRANA completed the 60,000 tonne capacity sugar silo in
Kaposvár, Hungary. The construction of our fourth US fruit
preparations plant is on schedule and the facility will be finished
in May 2014," explains Johann Marihart, Chief Executive Officer of
AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG.

AGRANA IFRS results

(mEUR=million euro) Q1-3, 2013/14 Q1-3,2012/13 Q3, 2013/14 Q3, 2012/13

Revenue 2,416.9 mEUR 2,389.3 mEUR 742.6 mEUR 786.2 mEUR

EBITDA* 223.5 mEUR 262.8 mEUR 76.5 mEUR 86.2 mEUR

Operating profit before
exceptional items 158.6 mEUR 204.3 mEUR 50.6 mEUR 61.8 mEUR

Operating margin 6.6% 8.6% 6.8% 7.4%

Operating profit after
exceptional items 158.6 mEUR 202.9 mEUR 50.6 mEUR 61.4 mEUR

Profit for the period 102.6 mEUR 138.6 mEUR 33.4 mEUR 39.1 mEUR

Earnings per share 6.80 EUR 9.44 EUR 2.21 EUR
2.58 EUR

Purchases of property, plant
and equipment and

intangibles** 98.2 mEUR 98.7 mEUR 38.9 mEUR 39.1 mEUR

Staff count*** 8,882 8,555

*Before exceptional items.
**Excluding goodwill.
***Average number of employees in the period.

After a net financial items expense of EUR 22.2 million and a tax
expense of EUR 33.9 million (corresponding to a tax rate of 24.8%),
Group profit for the period was EUR 102.6 million. Net debt at 30
November 2013 measured EUR 458.6 million, down EUR 25.1 million from
the 2012|13 financial year-end figure of EUR 483.7 million.

SUGAR segment (mEUR=million euro) Q1-3,2013/14 Q1-3,2012/13
Q3,2013/14 Q3,2012/13

Revenue 850.9 mEUR 926.6 mEUR 247.8 mEUR 292.6 mEUR

Operating profit before
exceptional items 52.0 mEUR 105.3 mEUR 513.8 mEUR 34.1 mEUR

Operating margin 6.1% 11.4% 5.6% 11.7%

In the first nine months of the financial year, revenue in the Sugar
segment declined year-on-year, mainly as a result of lower quota
sugar sales volume and pricing as well as weaker export business.
While sugar sales volumes eased slightly, revenues from by-products
and other products were constant. The significant decrease in
operating profit was driven by the downward price pressure and lower
sugar sales quantities, as well as increased production costs of the
2012|13 campaign and the fact that in the middle of the year, costs
for raw sugar were still relatively high.

STARCH segment (mEUR=million euro) Q1-3,2013/14 Q1-3,2012/13
Q3,2013/14 Q3,2012/13

Revenue 659.9 mEUR 603.7 mEUR 216.3 mEUR 208.8 mEUR

Operating profit before
exceptional items 47.9 mEUR 60.8 mEUR 21.6 mEUR 14.3 mEUR

Operating margin 7.3% 10.1% 10.1% 6.9%

The revenue growth in the Starch segment was attributable largely to
higher sales volumes. The reduction in earnings is explained
primarily by a lower profit contribution from HUNGRANA, the joint
venture in Hungary. Amid more intense competition, selling prices
were down. As well, the commissioning of the wheat starch plant in
Pischelsdorf, Austria, entailed the expected start-up losses.

FRUIT segment (mEUR=million euro) Q1-3,2013/14 Q1-3,2012/13
Q3,2013/14 Q3,2012/13

Revenue 906.1 mEUR 859.1 mEUR 278.5 mEUR 285.7 mEUR

Operating profit before
exceptional items 58.8 mEUR 38.2 mEUR 15.4 mEUR 13.4 mEUR

Operating margin 6.5% 4.4% 5.5% 4.7%

Sales volumes of fruit preparations were boosted by about 6% overall,
with gains achieved both within the EU (up 4%) and outside Europe (up
8%). The revenue growth in fruit juice concentrates was driven
primarily by higher sales quantities of apple juice concentrate
(especially as a result of the Ybbstaler volume, which the first
quarter of the prior year did not yet include). The key drivers of
the improvement in operating profit were volume growth in fruit
preparations and favourable annual delivery contracts from the 2012
crop in the fruit juice concentrates business.

Outlook

Given the challenging market environment and the year-to-date
business performance, AGRANA expects Group revenue for the full
2013|14 financial year to be steady at the prior-year level. However,
operating profit will be lower than in the very good last two
financial years. Total investment of approximately EUR 140 million in
the 2013|14 financial year will provide solid support for the Group's
long-term growth.

This press release is also available on the AGRANA website at
www.agrana.com.

Further inquiry note:
AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG

Mag.(FH) Markus Simak
Public Relations
Tel.: +43-1-211 37-12084
e-mail: markus.simak@agrana.com

Mag.(FH) Hannes Haider
Investor Relations
Tel.: +43-1-211 37-12905
e-mail:hannes.haider@agrana.com

end of announcement euro adhoc
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company: AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG
F.-W.-Raiffeisen-Platz 1
A-1020 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, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, official market: Wien
language: English