BRF see more investments in Asia ahead and maintains focus on Southeast Asia and China

SAO PAULO-the food giant BRF keeps the focus of growth in Asia back to Southeast Asia and China, with the form of the investment strategies and opportunities depending on, said a date for the continent.
"One can expect more investment. If you''re going to come in a form of merger and acquisition or joint venture, or of the form of greenfield (new plants) or brownfield (existing capacity), is a case-by-case basis, but (more) investment, for sure, "said Simon Cheng told Reuters.
On Tuesday, the BRF concluded cooperation agreement with a unit of Malaysian conglomerate PPB Group Berhad, which will invest $ 16,000,000 in a food processor of Malaysia, announced in early September.
The move is part of the company''s strategy to expand its presence in Southeast Asia, in addition to the continuous commitment to the Muslim markets.
According to head of the BRF to Asia, a confluence of factors justified the amount in the Malaysia, including the potential domestic market and the insertion in the Asian context, besides being a reference in the halal food market (produced in accordance with the precepts of Islam).
"It''s a target market, but also a crucial basis in international chess," he said.
Given the vast size of the Asian continent, the Executive claims that the next actions in the region should encompass since movements "world-class" vertically integrated as productive and platforms, so investments (capex) or large acquisitions, but also potential to be larger operations or organic inorganicamente.
"Where we realize a strategy of combining market access of our export platforms, more local value aggregation and distribution and brand, the trend is to make progressive M&As, as we did in the Middle East," said Cheng.
He added that it is a natural tendency to get company assume the reins in these operations, but considered that market will depend on the market.
Asked about the entry in India, a country of 1.3 billion people, he said that it is a market that matters to the company, but that the BRF is still prospecting, investing in learning, no clarity about what will happen in the short term.
"I don''t feel confident to speak if is 1 month, 1 year or 10 years. I know that it is important for us to be there, "he said, adding that there is a team devoted to these studies, no settings on a time horizon.