Ruchi Soya, Adani Wilmar likely to tie up as India's leading FMCG company

Ruchi Soya Industries Limited (Ruchi Soya), and Adani Wilmar Limited (Adani Wilmar), a joint venture between Adani Enterprises Limited (Adani) and Wilmar International Limited (Wilmar), are pleased to announce that they have agreed to combine their respective procurement, marketing, distribution and sales businesses, for the products mentioned below.

It is contemplated that a new joint venture company will be formed which will own and manage all procurement, sales and marketing of the below mentioned businesses of the respective parties, and each party will also contribute its portfolio of brands in relation to the products mentioned below.

The manufacturing requirements of the joint venture company are proposed to be fulfilled by Adani Wilmar and Ruchi Soya. It is proposed that Adani and Wilmar will, through Adani.

Wilmar, jointly holds an equity stake of 66.66 percent in the joint venture company, and Ruchi Soya will hold 33.34 percent. A non-binding term sheet has been signed in this regard.

This proposed new integrated platform is expected to have significant value for both the Indian farmer, in terms of efficient handling of produce and sales realization, as well as for the Indian consumer, who will stand to gain from an increased range of high quality finished products through distribution networks that will be optimized to provide the highest standards of quality and handling, at the lowest cost possible.

The proposed transaction is subject to due diligence, definitive binding documentation, applicable regulatory and other approvals and certain other terms and conditions. Further announcements will be made at an appropriate stage.

"The proposed partnership between Adani Wilmar and Ruchi will have a positive impact on the overall agricultural landscape of India. Our current partnership with Wilmar has been successful due to a solid combination of Wilmar's strategic outlook and experience in the international food business, coupled with our domestic operational expertise. We look forward to take the next leap forward with the Ruchi family through this new joint venture," said Gautam Adani, Chairman of Adani Group.

"We are very bullish on Indian demand for high-quality food products due to population and economic growth. The joint venture will be well-positioned to leverage on its strong base in edible oils and capture a good share of this demand to become one of India's leading FMCG companies," said Kuok Khoon Hong, Chairman and CEO of Wilmar.

The joint venture was conceived looking at India's complex agricultural environment, where declining farm productivity has come in the face of rising consumption patterns amongst India's growing population. This mismatch can be partially eased by optimizing and improving the supply chain networks of Adani Wilmar and Ruchi Soya.

"Our company is truly honored to be able to partner with such reputable conglomerates, and together we feel we will be able to leverage on each other's strengths to truly make a difference to the agricultural backdrop of the country," said MD Ruchi Soya, Dinesh Shahra.

"This joint venture will not only enable us to continue with our core manufacturing operations via toll processing arrangements, but also to capture the synergistic value by working closely together and learning from each other's experience to make things more lean and efficient."The planned integration of activities will help both companies realize savings in terms of origination efficiencies across distribution, handling and sales," added Dinesh Shahra.

Lastly, the proposed integration of Adani Wilmar's and Ruchi Soya's downstream businesses will serve as a catalyst for the further expansion of both parties' product portfolios and allow the joint venture to reach and address the consumer tastes, preferences and aspirations of India's 1.3 billion consumers.