EANS-Adhoc: AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG / AGRANA Juice Holding GmbH and Ybbstaler Fruit Austria GmbH plan merger

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Company Information

28.02.2011

The sugar, starch and fruit group AGRANA and Raiffeisen Ware Austria
(RWA) are considering a merger of their fruit juice concentrate
subsidiaries AGRANA Juice Holding GmbH and Ybbstaler Fruit Austria
GmbH in the form of a joint venture.

AGRANA Juice Holding GmbH has 12 production facilities in Austria,
Denmark, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Ukraine and China, as well as a
warehouse in Germany. Ybbstaler Fruit Austria GmbH operates three
processing plants, one in Austria and two in Poland. The combined
annual revenues of both fruit juice concentrate companies amount to
around EUR250m.

The joint venture will be fully consolidated by AGRANA on the basis
of a 50.01 % stake. RWA will hold the remaining stake of 49.99 %,
with the option to increase this to 50 % after five years. The joint
venture will be based in Kröllendorf (Lower Austria).

"The merger of these two fruit juice concentrate subsidiaries is in
response to changing market conditions such as the increasing
consolidation on the part of the concentrate producers but also that
of bottlers in particular", says Johann Marihart, CEO of AGRANA
Beteiligungs-AG. The transaction is subject to approval from the
competent anti-trust authorities.

AGRANA, the processer of agricultural commodities in the sugar,
starch and fruit segments, is the leading sugar company in Central
and Eastern Europe and a leading manufacturer of special starch
products in Europe. In the fruit segment, AGRANA is the top global
producer of fruit preparations for the dairy products industry and
one of Europe´s leading producers of fruit juice concentrates. In its
2009|10 financial year, AGRANA generated revenues of around EUR2bn
with approximately 8,000 personnel based at 52 production sites
located in 25 countries around the world.

RWA, the wholesaler and service provider of the Lagerhaus
cooperatives, is one of the largest trading companies in Austria and
particularly active in the trading of agricultural products and farm
supplies, building materials, the DIY segment and energy trading. RWA
holds investments in Austria and in the CEE region. In 2010, the RWA
Group generated revenues of just under EUR2bn.

This press release is available for download in German and English at
www.agrana.com and www.rwa.at.

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

Further inquiry note:

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

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