Cofco, the Chinese state-owned grains trader, took another step in consolidating¹ its recently acquired international businesses, creating a new holding company with China Investment Corp, the sovereign wealth fund.

中国国有谷物交易商中粮集团(Cofco)采取了新的步骤整合其最近收购的国际业务，该集团与中国主权财富基金中国投资公司(China Investment Corp，简称中投公司)成立了一家新的控股公司。

Cofco said it had signed an agreement with CIC to create Cofco International Holding Company.

中粮集团表示，该公司已经和中投公司签署一份协议，成立中粮国际控股公司(Cofco International Holding Company)。

The state-run grain buyer will place its shares in Noble Agri — the agriculture joint venture with Noble Group of Hong Kong set up last year — as well as its stake in Dutch grains trader Nidera into the holding group.

这家国有谷物买家会把手中持有的来宝农业(Noble Agri)股份及荷兰谷物交易商尼德拉(Nidera)的股份注入中粮国际控股。

The holding company, in which Cofco will hold 80.1 per cent and CIC 19.9 per cent, will provide a platform for an integrated international agricultural trader, which will compete with the agricultural “ABCDs” — Archer² Daniels Midland, Bunge, Cargill and Louis Dreyfus.

中粮集团将持有中粮国际控股81%的股份，而中投则会持有19.9%。中粮国际控股将提供一个综合性国际农产品交易商的平台。该交易商将与农产品交易领域的“ABCD”（即阿彻丹尼尔斯米德兰(Archer Daniels Midland，简称ADM)、邦吉(Bunge)、嘉吉(Cargill)和路易达孚(Louis Dreyfus)）开展竞争。

At an FT conference in Lausanne last month, Ning Gaoning, Cofco’s chairman, laid out plans to turn the company into a publicly listed global powerhouse

He said he wanted Cofco to be an international company, adding that he planned to expand in North America, a big surplus grain producer.

上个月，在洛桑召开的英国《金融时报》会议上，中粮集团董事长宁高宁提出了将该公司转变为公开上市的全球市场重要角色。

Cofco this week reiterated³ its desire to “create an upstream, downstream integrated global agricultural products company”.

他说，他希望中粮集团成为一家国际性企业，并提到他计划在巨大的谷物净出口生产地北美洲拓展业务。

The company also announced the appointment of Matt Jansen, a former executive at ADM, as the chief executive of Noble Agri.

就在本周，中粮集团重申该集团想要“打造上下游整合的全球农产品企业”。

Mr Jansen, who led ADM’s global oilseed operations, will be based in Geneva, building up Noble Agri’s trading operations. He is also expected to oversee⁴ the eventual⁵ integration⁶ of Noble Agri and Nidera under the Cofco umbrella.

该公司还宣布任命ADM前主管马特•詹森(Matt Jansen)为来宝农业的首席执行官。

The former ADM executive has extensive global experience as well as leading a large business unit under one of the leading agricultural traders that operate on the international markets, according to people who know him well.

詹森曾负责ADM的全球油菜籽业务，他将驻留日内瓦，打造来宝农业的交易业务。此外，预计他还会负责监督来宝农业和尼德拉在中粮旗下的最终整合。

Integration of Cofco’s international trading assets will enable China to secure more grain from overseas markets directly, reducing its reliance on global agricultural traders who currently dominate commodity flows.

中粮集团国际交易资产的整合，令中国能确保从海外市场获取更多谷物，减少对全球农产品交易商的依赖，这些交易商目前正主导着全球农业大宗商品的流向。

CIC’s investment in the holding company also belies⁷ the country’s desire to have more control on its food imports as rising incomes, richer diets and a shortage of arable⁸ land and clean water are expected to push up China’s agricultural imports in future.

中投对该控股公司的投资，也暗藏着中国加强对食品进口控制力度的愿望。眼下，不断增长的收入、日益丰富的饮食、以及可耕种土地及清洁水资源的短缺，预计会在未来推升中国农产品的进口量。