Wellington, Sept 18 - New Zealand co-operative Fonterra Ltd, the world's biggest dairy exporter, proposed selling up to NZ$1 billion of new shares to its farmer shareholders and divesting non-core assets to strengthen its balance sheet.
Fonterra, which controls around a third of the world's dairy exports and generates about 7 percent of New Zealand's gross domestic product, said the proposals were designed to provide stability and meet the co-operative's funding needs for the next five years.
"The options we are discussing with farmers would strengthen the capital structure and make Fonterra more adaptable and competitive in the international marketplace," said Chairman Henry van der Heyden in a statement.
The plan, in three parts, will need the support of 75 percent of Fonterra's approximately 10,800 shareholders.
It involves allowing farmers to purchase additional shares from Fonterra, up to 120 percent of their milk production from the current 100 percent limit.
The way Fonterra's shares are valued would be changed and the value of the shares capped NZ$4.52 in the near term.
The third part is to allow farmers to trade shares amongst themselves, rather than through the co-operative.
Fonterra also proposed divesting non-core assets.
The company will put the share issue and valuation proposals out for consultation, and will look to take a vote at its annual meeting in November.
If the first two were approved, the third proposal could be put to shareholders next year.
Fonterra's shares are currently tied to milk production and falls in production reduce the amount of equity and increase debt levels.
"Fonterra can't afford to have hundreds of millions of dollars washing in and out of the balance sheet every time milk production fluctuates, for whatever reason," van der Heyden said.
A drought in the 2007/08 season resulted in Fonterra having to buy back NZ$742 million worth of shares because of lower production.
The previous restructuring plan was put forward in 2007, suggesting a listing of up to 35 percent of a company owning all of Fonterra's processing and overseas operations. The plan was worth around NZ$2 billion ($1.4 billion) but was strongly opposed by farmers and scrapped in March 2008.
It also needs to cope with farmers getting out of the industry and cashing up their shares, and to fund expansion.
Van der Heyden said the prospect of a public share float had been totally ruled out because of the previous opposition.
The cooperative, whose brands include Anchor and Fresh n'Fruity, wants to increase its operations overseas, where it competes with global food conglomerates such as Nestle , Kraft Foods Inc and Danone.
Fonterra has forecast a payout of NZ$4.55 per kilogram of milk solids for the 2009/10 season, down 12.5 percent on the previous season, because of weak global prices, a high NZ dollar, and a return to trade subsidies are combining to hit returns.
As at Jan. 31 Fonterra valued its shares at nearly NZ$4.4 billion. It had assets worth nearly NZ$18 billion and revenue of NZ$19 billion.
($1=NZ$1.41)