Mengniu Dairy taps into rising demand
Industry leader boosts first-half profit 16pc but acquisitions see capital expenditure quadruple, while Modern Dairy changes herd strategy

First-half net profit at China Mengniu Dairy jumped 16.3 per cent to 749.5 million yuan (HK$950 million) as demand for its products grew steadily.

In the first half, the firm initiated the acquisition of milk formula maker Yashili, completed the acquisition of a further 26.92 per cent of raw milk producer Modern Dairy for a total stake of 28 per cent, and agreed to form a joint venture with Danone to produce yogurt and related products on the mainland.
Production capacity stayed flat at 7.59 million tonnes over the six-month period. The series of acquisitions helped to quadruple the firm's capital expenditure to 3.72 billion yuan year on year. The company's interest-bearing bank loans soared to 3.96 billion yuan from 573.8 million yuan in late December.