Nykomling förvirrar: Köpt socker för 20 miljarder

Wilmar International Limited founded in 1991, is Asia’s leading agribusiness group. It ranks amongst the largest listed companies by market capitalisation on the Singapore Exchange, being the second largest as of September 2010. It is a Singaporean investment holding company that provides management services to its 400+ subsidiary companies. It is also ranked 252nd in the Fortune Global 500 list in 2015. Wilmar International business activities include oil palm cultivation, edible oils refining, oilseeds crushing, consumer pack edible oils processing and merchandising, specialty fats, oleochemicals, and biodiesel manufacturing, and grains processing and merchandising. It has over 450 manufacturing plants and an extensive distribution network covering China, India, Indonesia and some 50 other countries. The Group is backed by a multinational workforce of over 92,000 people. Wilmar's merchandising and processing segment encompasses merchandising of palm oil and laurics-related products, operations of palm oil processing and refinery plants and crushing, further processing and refining of a range of edible oils, oilseeds, grains and soyabean. Its consumer products segment has an oil-bottling business in the People's Republic of China, Vietnam and Indonesia. Its plantation and palm oil mills segment engages in oil palm cultivation and milling. Other segments include manufacturing and distribution of fertiliser and ship-chartering services.

The sugar industry subsumes the production, processing and marketing of sugars (mostly saccharose and fructose). Globally, most sugar is extracted from sugar cane (~80 % predominantly in the tropics) and sugar beet (~ 20%, mostly in temperate climate like in the U.S. or Europe). Sugar is an essential basis for soft drinks/sweetened beverages, convenience foods, fast food, candy / sweets, confectionery, baking products and the respective industries. A 2013 report from BCC Research estimates the global market for sugar and sweeteners at about $77.5 billion in 2012 with sugar comprising an almost 85% share. The market is thought to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 4.6%. Around 160 million tonnes of sugar are produced every year. The largest producers are Brazil (22%), India (15%) and the European Union (10%). Altogether, there are more than 123 sugar-producing countries, but only 30% of the produce is traded on the international market. In 2011 global sugar export trade was worth $47bn with $33.5bn of sugar exports are from developing countries and $12.2bn from developed countries.