BY BAMIDELE FAMOOFO
Operational review of Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc for the financial year ended March 31, 2022 showed that its food segment grew by N270 billion.
The Group has continued to demonstrate resilience and strong performance across Food, Agro-Allied and Support Segments delivering top-line growth of 57 percent in Q4 and 51 percent in FY22, behind strong volume growth and favourable mix.
Management explained that continued investments in local content including remarkable improvements in the Agro-Allied business segment following increase in local demand and export operations contributed 47 percent (N19bn) to the Group’s Profit before Tax.
Profit before tax reached N41 billion, up from N37 billion in 2020/2021 (11% YoY Growth).
Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc strengthened its position as the market leader in flour, semolina and pasta manufacture as it obtained approval for the acquisition of Honeywell Flour Mills Plc.
“The growing demand in the north and by other industrial customers propelled our introduction of brown sugar, which is locally grown on our farms in Sunti, to the market. At the same time, our Backward Integration project in sugar production recorded a 21% improvement in revenue driven by increased volume. However, the rise in raw material costs largely impacted the sugar segment’s operating performance,” management further disclosed.
Commenting on the result, Omoboyede Olusanya, the Group Managing Director, said: “We remain committed to implementing our long-term plan with further investments in local content via product innovation across our five major value chains. Our substantial underlying earnings demonstrate our commitment to achieving sustainability as we drive to achieve food security in the country, given the challenging operating environment over the years. With the acquisition of Honeywell Flour Mills Plc. (HFMF) and the attendant differentiated offers, our portfolio continues to evolve, strategically positioning the Group for opportunities from the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). With the appointment of our third female board member and the promotion of gender diversity throughout our business segments, our sustainability agenda made more strides in line with our long-standing commitment to women’s empowerment. In addition, we developed a local content, food security, and nutrition board committee to improve the well-being of our consumers, assist in regenerating and strengthening the farming communities in our supply chains, and promote local economic development. In line with our strategy, we will continue to increase operational efficiency with accelerated plans for cost optimizations across the Group. This will ensure that we are on course to continue to create value for our shareholders in the long run.”
