Sadia, Nestlé, Kraft and Bertin invest and sector grows up to 4%
DCI - 03/04/2009
The growth of the food industry is assured for 2009, even with the crisis that affected a great part of the industries and pulled down the demand and expansion forecasts for the year. After the most pessimistic projections, which raised the hypothesis of a change in the consumption of Brazilians, who would choose for cheaper products in their food basket, producers, like Nestlé, Sadia, Kraft Foods and Bertin, are enthusiastic with the market. For the year, the sector expects an increase between 3% and 4%, according to the estimate of the Brazilian Association of the Food Industries (Abia). The sector ended 2008 with growth of 4.3%, pointing to retreat in the continuity in the level of growth after September. In the accumulated in the first nine months of last year, the registered expansion was 5.5%. "The sector had a slowdown of 20% in the period and the production was adjusted", affirmed the coordinator of the department of economy of the Abia, Denis Ribeiro. According to the economist, one third of the investments foreseen should be suspended. At the end of the second half of 2008, the association foresaw record investments in 2009 of R$ 22 billion (US$ 9.6 billion). The producers, on the other hand, confirm the purpose of continuing investing. In a press release, Nestlé informed the investments for 2009 are maintained. Sadia's director of Domestic Market, Sérgio Fonseca, affirmed the characteristics of the sector shield the performance of the producers. With an eye at the market, Fonseca discloses new launchings of the company are scheduled for 2009. Bertin, on its turn, the owner of brands like Leco, Vigor, Danubio and Faixa Azul, is betting in the launchings and expects closing this year with an increase of nearly 15%. "In the first months of the year we did not feel any impacts nor migration of the consumer to other kinds of products", affirmed the Marketing Officer of Bertin, Marcos Scaldelai. The impacts and reduction of the demand did not get to Kraft Foods as well, the producer of crackers and cookies like Club Social and Trakinas, among other food products. The novelties foreseen by the company are a bet for the increase of the company sales for the year. Because of the expected growth, pasta producer J. Macedo foresees investments of R$ 175 million (US$ 76 million) in the period from 2009 to 2012 in the modernization and expansion of the productive capacity of its units. The São José dos Campos (SP) unit will be increased by 30 thousand tons and will get to 93 thousand tons a year. That is already the second measure of the company in 2009. In the beginning of January it announced the acquisition of the Minas Gerais pasta factory Chiarini.