Louis Dreyfus Company B.V. (LDC), one of the world’s largest traders and processors of agricultural products, reported its consolidated financial results for the first half of 2025, the company said.
According to the report, the group’s net revenue amounted to $26.2 billion (compared to $25.6 billion a year earlier), EBITDA was $987 million ($1.057 billion in 2024), and segment operating profit was $1.217 billion ($1.284 billion in 2024) . Net profit attributable to the group’s shareholders amounted to $418 million, compared to $489 million a year earlier.
The company emphasized that, despite geopolitical, regulatory, and climate challenges, it managed to increase sales by 4.4% year-on-year, maintain positive investment momentum, and expand its asset network.
During the reporting period:
in North America, construction of new oil and fat plants in Canada and the US continued;
in South America, grain and oilseed capacities were increased in Argentina, a coffee factory in Brazil was expanded, and a new terminal for sugar exports was commissioned;
In Asia, processing facilities were commissioned in Indonesia and China, including a food technology park in Dongjiao.
The retail product range was expanded, including entry into the European and Asian markets with Montebelo Brasil juices.
LDC CEO Michael Gelchi noted: “Thanks to the flexibility and dedication of our teams, despite market volatility, we have maintained strong results and continued the strategic transformation of the company into a more integrated, innovative, and sustainable business.”
Louis Dreyfus Company, founded in 1851, is a global trading and processing company active in more than 100 countries, with a network of approximately 19,000 employees. In Ukraine, LDC operates through subsidiaries, engaging in the procurement, storage, processing, and export of grains and oilseeds, as well as investments in infrastructure (elevators, terminals). The company is one of the largest agricultural traders in the country.
China’s Global Governance Initiative will have a significant economic impact, believes the Ambassador of the PRC to Ukraine, Ma Shenkun.
“It creates new opportunities for the development of trade, investment, and technological exchange, and it can also help the recovery of the world economy after crisis phenomena,” the diplomat noted in a blog.
He pointed out that the Chinese approach envisions “openness, inclusiveness, and mutually beneficial cooperation.”
Ma Shenkun has been serving as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the PRC to Ukraine since 2023.
A career diplomat, he previously held senior positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, worked in PRC missions in European countries, and participated in multilateral negotiations in the field of economic and security cooperation.
Source: Author’s column by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to Ukraine Ma Shenkun on the website of the information agency “Interfax-Ukraine”.
GLOBAL GOVERNANCE INITIATIVE, INTERNATIONAL LAW, PRC, UN, Xi Jinping
As of September 19, farmers harvested 29.77 million tons of early grain and leguminous crops from 7.09 million hectares, which is 62% of the area sown with these crops, according to the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture on its website.
Last year, as of September 20, 31.90 million tons of grain were harvested from 7.53 million hectares, meaning that the current figures are 6.7% and 5.9% lower, respectively, mainly due to the later start of the corn harvest.
As noted by the Ministry of Economy, 388,700 tons have now been harvested from 90,300 hectares, while last year at around this date, 2.40 million tons were harvested from 514,500 hectares.
As for wheat, its harvest is slightly higher than last year’s – 22.48 million tons from 5.02 million hectares compared to 22.30 million tons from 4.9 million hectares, while barley is slightly lower – 5.33 million tons from 1.35 million hectares compared to 5.50 million tons from 1.41 million hectares.
This year’s pea harvest is significantly higher – 626,600 tons from 266,000 hectares compared to 465,300 tons from 212,200 hectares last year, while buckwheat and millet are still significantly lower – 57,100 tons versus 99,400 tons and 45,400 tons versus 132,000 tons, respectively.
The harvest of other cereals and legumes this year reached 844,300 hectares as of September 19, compared to 1,000,000 tons as of September 20 last year.
It is noted that among the leaders, in particular, the Odessa region harvested 3.68 million tons from an area of 1.09 million hectares, the Vinnytsia region with 2.41 million tons from 434,400 hectares, the Kirovograd region with 2.21 million tons from 538,400 hectares, and the Khmelnytskyi region with 2.13 million tons from 306,700 hectares.
As for oilseeds, the rapeseed harvest is only slightly less than last year’s – 3.30 million tons compared to 3.4 million tons from the same area of 1.27 million hectares.
However, the harvest of soybeans and sunflowers is still ongoing, and there is a significant lag: 944,900 tons of soybeans have been harvested from 483,700 hectares, compared to 2.6 million tons from 1.3 million hectares on a similar date last year, while 2.41 million tons of sunflowers have been harvested from 1.37 million hectares, compared to 4.90 million tons from 2.4 million hectares.
In addition, sugar beet harvesting is also lagging behind: 632,500 tons have been harvested from an area of 12,700 hectares, compared to 1.7 million tons on the same date last year.
According to current data, the yields of wheat, barley, peas, rapeseed, and soybeans are roughly the same as last year, while corn and sunflower yields are lower so far, at 4.3 tons/ha versus 4.7 tons/ha and 1.8 tons/ha versus 2 tons/ha, respectively.
As reported, in its Inflation Report published at the end of July, the National Bank of Ukraine lowered its forecast for this year’s grain harvest from 61.7 million tons to 57.9 million tons, and for oilseeds from 22 million tons to 21 million tons.
The NBU recalled that last year, the grain harvest in Ukraine fell to 56.2 million tons from 59.8 million tons in 2023, while oilseeds fell from 21.7 million tons to 20 million tons.
According to forecasts by Deputy Minister of Economy Taras Vysotsky, this year’s grain harvest will be about 56 million tons, the same as last year.
Most Ukrainians express a positive attitude toward Norway. This is evidenced by the results of a sociological survey conducted by Active Group in cooperation with the Experts Club think tank.
According to the survey, 77.7% of Ukrainians have a positive attitude towards Norway (38.7% — completely positive, 39.0% — mostly positive). Only 1.3% of respondents expressed a negative attitude (1.0% — completely negative, 0.3% — mostly negative). A neutral position towards Norway was expressed by 20.0% of respondents, while another 1.0% admitted that they were not familiar with this country.
“The high level of sympathy for Norway is explained not only by Ukraine’s traditional support in the context of the war, but also by the country’s stable image with high social standards, a developed economy, and one of the highest standards of living in the world,” emphasized Active Group CEO Oleksandr Pozniy.
Experts Club co-founder Maksim Urakin emphasized the importance of economic cooperation between the two countries.
“Despite a significant trade imbalance, Ukraine actively cooperates with Norway. In the first six months of 2025, trade turnover amounted to $231.9 million. At the same time, Ukrainian exports amounted to only $16.5 million, while imports amounted to $215.4 million. The negative balance exceeded $198.9 million, but the presence of Norwegian energy and technology goods is of great importance to the Ukrainian economy.”
Thus, Ukrainian society highly values Norway’s role as a reliable partner, and trade dynamics confirm mutual interest in developing relations.
The full video can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgC9TPnMoMI&t
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ACTIVE GROUP, EXPERTS CLUB, NORWAY, Pozniy, SOCIOLOGY, TRADE, UKRAINE, УРАКИН
On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accepted the credentials of the newly appointed ambassadors of the Czech Republic, Norway, and Germany.
“I accepted the credentials and spoke with the newly appointed ambassadors of the Czech Republic, Norway, and Germany,” he wrote on Telegram.
The president also congratulated them on the start of their diplomatic missions and thanked them for their countries’ support of Ukraine.
They also discussed strengthening cooperation, particularly in the security and defense sector.
“Together, we are adding to the security and stability of the whole of Europe and moving towards a reliable and guaranteed peace in Ukraine,” Zelenskyy concluded.
The vast majority of Ukrainians express a neutral attitude towards Lebanon. This is evidenced by the results of a sociological survey conducted by Active Group in cooperation with the Experts Club think tank.
According to the survey, 67.3% of respondents said they had a neutral attitude towards Lebanon. Only 8.7% of respondents expressed a positive attitude (2.0% — completely positive, 6.7% — mostly positive). On the other hand, 15.3% of Ukrainians demonstrated a negative attitude (2.3% — completely negative, 13.0% — mostly negative). Another 8.7% admitted that they were not familiar with this country.
“These results can be explained by the lack of significant historical or cultural ties between Ukraine and Lebanon, as well as Lebanon’s weak informational presence in Ukrainian society,” said Alexander Pozniy, head of Active Group.
In turn, Experts Club founder Maksim Urakin emphasized the economic aspect.
“In the first six months of 2025, trade turnover between Ukraine and Lebanon amounted to $249.3 million. At the same time, exports from Ukraine amounted to $246.5 million, while imports amounted to only $2.7 million. Thus, the positive balance exceeded $243.8 million, which indicates Lebanon’s unilateral interest in Ukrainian products.”
Thus, relations between Ukraine and Lebanon remain predominantly economic, and public perception of this country in Ukraine is still neutral.
The full video can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgC9TPnMoMI&t
You can subscribe to the Experts Club YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@ExpertsClub
ACTIVE GROUP, EXPERTS CLUB, LEBANON, Pozniy, SOCIOLOGY, TRADE, UKRAINE, УРАКИН
