Bunge Ltd Pfd (BGEPF)

Description:

Bunge Ltd was founded in 1818 under the laws of Bermuda. It was formed as a grain trading company in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The Company is an agribusiness and food company with integrated operations that stretch from the farm field to consumer foods. The Company continued to expand its agribusiness operations, including building a new port terminal and barge transshipment facility in northern Brazil, investing in port infrastructure in Paranagua, Brazil, building a new oilseed processing and refining facility in Altona, Canada and export loading facility in Bunbury, Australia. It conducts its operations in four principal business areas; agribusiness, sugar and bioenergy, food and ingredients and fertilizer. These business areas include five reportable business segments; agribusiness, sugar and bioenergy, edible oil products, milling products and fertilizer. Its agribusiness segment is an integrated, business involved in the purchase, storage, transport, processing and sale of agricultural commodities and commodity products. Its agribusiness operations and assets are primarily located in North and South America, Europe and Asia. Its sugar and bioenergy segment produces and sells sugar and ethanol derived from sugarcane, as well as energy derived from their production process, through its operations in Brazil. Its food and ingredients operations consist of two reportable business segments; edible oil products and milling products. These segments include businesses that produce and sell edible oil based products, including oils, shortenings, margarines, and mayonnaise and milled grain products such as wheat flours, corn-based products and rice. Its fertilizer segment is involved in producing, blending and distributing fertilizer products for the agricultural industry in South America, with assets and operations primarily located in Argentina. The Company purchase oilseeds and grains either directly from farmers or indirectly through intermediaries. The Company's products are Edible Oil Products and Milling Products. In Brazil and Mexico, the primary customers for its wheat milling products are food processor, bakery and food service companies. In North America, the primary customers for its corn milling products are companies in the food processing sector, such as cereal, snack, bakery and brewing companies, as well as the U.S. Government for humanitarian relief programs. In Brazil, the Company's competitors are Predileto Alimentos, M. Dias Branco, Moinho Pacifico and Moinho Anaconda, as well as many small regional producers. The Company's competitors in North American corn milling products business include Cargill, Didion Milling Company, SEMO Milling, LLC and Life Line Foods, LLC. Its competitors in its U.S. rice milling business. The Company is subject to a variety of laws in each of the countries in which it operate which govern various aspects of its business, including the processing, handling, storage, transport and sale of its products; land-use and ownership of land, including laws regulating the acquisition or leasing of rural properties by certain entities and individuals; and environmental, health and safety matters.