German congolomerate BayWa, a major player in German horticulture and owner of New Zealand fresh produce business Enza/Turners & Growers, is pushing hard to acquire another fruit trading business before mid-2014, it has emerged.
Although a deal is by no means guaranteed, the group is understood to be in negotiations currently and hopes to secure the acquisition over the coming months.
The news follows comments made by BayWa chief executive Klaus-Joseph Lutz in an interview with German newspaper the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, in which he revealed such a deal was on the cards.
'It's very well possible that we will take over another international fruit dealer in the next months,' he told the newspaper.
The competion of such a move would mean BayWa refrained from making further large acquisitions next year, Lutz added.
Baywa's agricultural dvision – its largest – is expected to achieve earnings before interest and tax of €150m next year.
