EANS-News: AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG / AGRANA concentrates production of fruit preparations in Austria at Gleisdorf plant

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Corporate news transmitted by euro adhoc. The issuer/originator is solely
responsible for the content of this announcement.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subtitle: Kröllendorf (Lower Austria) remains head office of Austria
Juice GmbH and the site for fruit juice concentrate production

Strategic management decisions

In response to the continuingly weak development of the market for
fruit yoghurts in Europe, AGRANA is now optimising the organisational
structure of its fruit preparations division in Austria. At its
meeting today, the Supervisory Board of AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG
resolved to in future operate the AGRANA site in Gleisdorf (Styria)
as its sole Austrian production facility for fruit preparations. The
fruit preparations plant in Kröllendorf (Lower Austria), which had
been operating at below capacity, will be relocated to the larger
fruit preparations facility in Gleisdorf. The intention is to
complete the relocation process by the end of the financial year
2014|15.

This move by AGRANA is necessary in order to counter the overcapacity
which has arisen in the European fruit preparations market in recent
years as a result of which there has been pressure on the margins of
all fruit preparations producers.

The aim is to offer some of the 66 personnel employed in the fruit
preparations production plant in Kröllendorf jobs at other AGRANA
sites - ideally at the fruit juice concentrate facility in
Kröllendorf or in the fruit preparations plant at the Gleisdorf site.
Management and the Works Council will jointly prepare a severance
package for those personnel without the option of a new position.
AGRANA is fully aware of its responsibility vis-a-vis employees and
therefore attaches great importance to implementing these plans as
socially compatibly as possible.

Kröllendorf remains important site for fruit juice concentrates

At the Kröllendorf site and in a joint venture with Raiffeisen Ware
Austria AG, AGRANA operates both the production facility as well as
the head office of the Fruit Juice division, which operates under the
name Austria Juice GmbH. This company is not affected by the changes
described above. With its plant in Kröllendorf and a further 13
international production facilities, AGRANA aims to consolidate its
role as a leading supplier of fruit juice concentrates, fruit purées,
beverage bases, natural flavourings and NFC juices to the down-stream
beverages industry.

About AGRANA

AGRANA adds value to agricultural commodities to produce top quality
foodstuffs and numerous industrial upstream products. Around 8,800
personnel working at over 50 production facilities worldwide generate
consolidated revenue of around three billion euros. The Company was
founded in 1988 and is today the leading sugar company in Central and
Eastern Europe as well as being a key producer, in the Starch
segment, of special products and bioethanol in Europe. AGRANA is also
the global leader in fruit preparations and one of the largest
European producers of fruit juice concentrates.

Fruit preparations at AGRANA

Fruit preparations contain top quality fruit which is prepared either
as a liquid or in pieces in order for these to be used mainly in
dairy products but also in the ice cream and bakery industries. These
products are individually designed and further developed in
cooperation with customers. AGRANA produces fruit preparations at 26
sites worldwide.

This Press Release is available on the AGRANA's website at
www.agrana.com.

Further inquiry note:
AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG

Mag.(FH) Markus Simak
Pressesprecher
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
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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