Bunge North America expands grain operations

25/05/05 Bunge North America, the North American operating arm of Bunge Limited, and Decatur Transit, Inc. have reached an agreement that allows Bunge to expand its grain merchandising ability in the southeastern United States by building a barge unloading and grain storage facility at Decatur Transit's Port of Decatur® in Alabama. In conjunction with the new facility, Gold Kist, the third largest poultry company in the United States, has signed a supply agreement with Bunge.

Under the terms of the contract with Decatur Transit, Bunge will lease land at the Port of Decatur and build the facility, which is expected to be operational in September 2005.

The new facility will be capable of handling grain, grain products and dried distillers grain (DDGs) along with soybeans, soybean meal and soybean hulls. From the storage facility, Bunge will be able to load out both trucks and rail.

The Port of Decatur project complements other Bunge Grain operations along the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers as well as Bunge's soybean processing facility in Decatur, Ala.

Bunge North America, the North American operating arm of Bunge Limited, is a vertically integrated food and feed ingredient company, supplying raw and processed agricultural commodities and specialized food ingredients to a wide range of customers in the livestock, poultry, food processor, foodservice and bakery industries. With headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, Bunge North America and its subsidiaries operate grain elevators, oilseed processing plants, edible oil refineries and packaging facilities, and corn dry mills in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Bunge Limited is an integrated, global agribusiness and food company operating in the farm-to-consumer food chain. Founded in 1818 and headquartered in White Plains, New York, Bunge has 25,000 employees and locations in 32 countries. Bunge is the world's leading oilseed processing company, the largest producer and supplier of fertilizers to farmers in South America and the world's leading seller of bottled vegetable oils to consumers.

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050524/nytu161.html?.v=10