Animal feed cooperative AgruniekRijnvallei was able to keep feed turnover virtually stable last year, the company reports. The company does not make any concrete statements about turnover. However, it reports that this has remained at the same level for direct customers.
In total, AgruniekRijnvallei (AR) sold 719.000 tons of feed last year, 10.000 tons less than in 2022. The slight decrease in volume is because AR has produced less feed in contract production, partly as a result of the termination of the collaboration within Bio-NL. AR and De Valk worked together in the production of organic feed. Now both parties are producing for themselves again.
AR saw all kinds of movements within the various feed segments, says director Arjen van Nuland. In poultry feed, there was a movement over the course of 2023, first less organic feed, then more again. Poultry farmers can easily switch back and forth between organic and conventional and use this opportunity to optimally respond to the market. AR can easily respond to this changing demand because it has several specialized factories in both organic and conventional.
AR again saw a positive customer balance in cattle feed, according to Van Nuland, but livestock farmers ordered smaller volumes because they had harvested a lot of good roughage.
In 2022, the cooperative achieved record feed sales, with a total increase of almost 10%. Monetary turnover amounted to €438 million, €106 million more than a year earlier, but this was also partly due to the high raw material costs. The net result amounted to €3,5 million. There are therefore no comparative figures for this year.
AR Plant and Welkoop
The AR Plant division performed well, allowing it to attract new customers and increase market share. Also by offering new products and responding to the challenges of CAP policy. AR Plant did this in close collaboration with AR Business Development, AR Voer and CropSolutions, among others. The nine Welkoop stores under the management of AR have performed above expectations, partly due to efficient cost reduction.
Few stoppers
Although it is still unclear to what extent AR customers will make use of the purchase scheme, it currently appears that its effect will be limited, the company believes. Van Nuland: "We notice an ambition among our customers to grow and invest rather than to stop. This is partly due to the fact that we have relatively many customers who are in special segments, such as organic, better for and of such."