World Grain - October 2013 - 10

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Cargill board elects next CEO
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S. — Cargill announced on
Sept. 11 that its board of directors has elected David W. MacLennan, currently Cargill’s president and chief operating officer, as
the corporation’s next chief executive officer (CEO) effective
Dec. 1, 2013, succeeding Gregory R. Page, 62, who will serve as
executive chairman.
MacLennan, 54, will retain the title of president and continue as a
director of the company. The transition is the result of the company’s
ongoing succession planning with the board.
“Over the past several years, I have had the opportunity to work
closely with David, especially in his roles as chief financial officer
and chief operating officer, and I have been impressed with his leadership, his vision, and the breadth and depth of his knowledge and
experience. This is a dynamic and diverse global company. We are
excited about the opportunities ahead and have the highest confidence in David to deliver on that promise,” said Page.
MacLennan joined Cargill in 1991 and has held various leadership
positions within the financial, risk management, energy and animal

protein businesses in the U.S., London and Geneva. He was elected Cargill’s president and chief
operating officer in 2011. In 2008, he was named
Cargill’s chief financial officer and elected to the
Cargill board of directors.
“I am honored by the trust the board has
placed in me and feel privileged to have the opportunity to follow Greg Page, a truly outstanding leader and CEO,” MacLennan said. “Under
MacLennan
Greg’s leadership, Cargill has seen remarkable
growth across many dimensions, focused our operations on innovation and value-added products, helped our customers thrive and better positioned the company to help feed the world sustainably for
years to come.”
In his role as executive chairman, Page will continue to lead the
board and will represent the company in a variety of interactions and
public forums with customers, policymakers and others, and will be
available as a resource to the company.

U.S. ships more wheat to Syria
BEIRUT, LEBANON — A ship carrying wheat from the U.S. —
enough to help feed more than 3.5 million Syrians for one month
— has delivered its cargo to the port of Beirut as part of a massive emergency food assistance operation by the UN World Food
Program (WFP). This is the second ship to bring a U.S. wheat
contribution to support WFP’s life-saving work in Syria in less
than six months.
The MV Mathawee Naree, which started its journey in Houston,
Texas, U.S., arrived on Sept. 20 carrying close to 22,000 tonnes of
wheat. Some 7,000 tonnes was offloaded in Beirut, to be milled into
flour in Lebanon and then transported to Syria by road. The ship then
sailed to the port of Mersin in Turkey to offload the rest of the wheat,
to be milled then transported onwards by sea to Syria for distribution
by WFP to vulnerable families.
“The generous U.S. contribution to WFP emergency’s operation
for Syrians affected by the conflict comes at a critical time, as needs
are increasing yet we are facing real challenges in raising money to
keep up,” said Muhannad Hadi, WFP’s emergency coordinator for
the Syria crisis.

WFP is providing wheat flour to bakeries that are still working in
urban areas and they then provide bread for some of the most vulnerable families. In Aleppo and Idleb, where the bakeries project has
been piloted, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) is distributing
bread produced with WFP wheat flour in selected bakeries to displaced families and other needy people.
In rural areas, WFP distributes flour directly to families who
are able to bake their own bread at home. The families receive a
25-kg bag of flour in addition to their monthly food ration typically composed of vegetable oil, pasta, canned beans, lentils and
sugar. WFP is prioritizing areas where there are severe shortages
of bread.
The new wheat donation, worth more than $15 million, is part
of the $270 million overall contribution of the U.S. government to
WFP’s Syria emergency operation to assist vulnerable families in
Syria and refugees in neighbouring countries.
The Syria response is WFP’s largest and most complex emergency worldwide. WFP needs $30 million every week to meet the food
needs of people affected by the conflict.

Australia forecasts wheat crop of 24.5 million tonnes
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA — The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) on Sept.
10 forecast Australian wheat production in 2013-14 at 24,467,000
tonnes, up 2,388,000 tonnes, or 11%, from 22,079,000 tonnes in
2012-13 and compared with 24,530,000 tonnes as the recent fiveyear average outturn. The September forecast was down 4% from the
projection issued in June at 25,399,000 tonnes.
10

The September forecast was based on an estimated area planted
at 13,712,000 hectares, which was up 469,000 hectares, or 4%, from
13,243,000 hectares in 2012-13 and compared with 13,612,000
acres as the recent five-year average. Average yield in the current
year was forecast at 1.78 tonnes per hectare compared with 1.67
tonnes per hectare in 2012-13 and 1.8 tonnes per hectare as the
five-year average.
October 2013 / World Grain / www.World-Grain.com

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World Grain - October 2013

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