COFCO International Joins Initiative to Modernize Global Agricultural Commodity Trade Operations

CHICAGO & WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. & MINNEAPOLIS & GENEVA & ROTTERDAM, Netherlands–(BUSINESS WIRE)–COFCO International Ltd (“COFCO International”) is partnering with
Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) (“ADM”), Bunge Limited (NYSE:
BG) (“Bunge”), Cargill Incorporated (“Cargill”), and Louis Dreyfus
Company (“LDC”) to standardize data and digitize global agricultural
shipping transactions. Together, the companies are looking to increase
transparency and efficiency for customers through digital technologies,
such as blockchain and artificial intelligence.

“We are pleased to join this initiative as a founding member,” said
Johnny Chi, Chairman and CEO of COFCO International. “Emerging
technologies like blockchain give us the opportunity to create a
transparent, secure and efficient platform and transform global
agricultural trade operations. Our shared vision is to develop a new
standard available to everyone, bringing industry-wide benefits.”

Announced in October,
the partnership is initially focused on developing technologies to
automate grain and oilseed post-trade execution processes, significantly
reducing costs and resources needed to move documents around the globe.
Longer term, the initiative will drive greater security, reliability,
efficiency and transparency by digitizing manual, paper-based processes
tied to contracts, invoices and payments, with a more modern, digitally
based approach.

The companies are actively engaging industry stakeholders around the
world, with a focus on global access and adoption. This includes the
participation of businesses of all sizes to gather the input and
collaboration necessary to design a solution that increases
competitiveness, reduces barriers to entry and provides value to the
entire industry.

With a focus on making functionality available as early as possible,
immediate next steps include identifying suitable technology solutions
and engaging partners that can deliver the efficiencies of automated
grain and oilseed trade execution.

About Archer Daniels Midland Company

For more than a century, the people of Archer Daniels Midland Company
(NYSE: ADM) have transformed crops into products that serve the vital
needs of a growing world. Today, we’re one of the world’s largest
agricultural processors and food ingredient providers, with
approximately 31,000 employees serving customers in more than 170
countries. With a global value chain that includes approximately 500
crop procurement locations, 270 food and feed ingredient manufacturing
facilities, 44 innovation centers and the world’s premier crop
transportation network, we connect the harvest to the home, making
products for food, animal feed, industrial and energy uses. Learn more
at www.adm.com.

About Bunge Limited

Bunge Limited (www.bunge.com,
NYSE: BG) is a leading global agribusiness and food company operating in
over 40 countries with approximately 32,000 employees. Bunge buys,
sells, stores and transports oilseeds and grains to serve customers
worldwide; processes oilseeds to make protein meal for animal feed;
produces edible oil products for consumers and commercial customers in
the food processing, industrial and artisanal bakery, confectionery,
human nutrition and food service categories; produces sugar and ethanol
from sugarcane; mills wheat, corn and rice to make ingredients used by
food companies; and sells fertilizer in South America. Founded in 1818,
the company is headquartered in White Plains, New York.

About Cargill

Cargill’s 155,000 employees across 70 countries work relentlessly to
achieve our purpose of nourishing the world in a safe, responsible and
sustainable way. Every day, we connect farmers with markets, customers
with ingredients, and people and animals with the food they need to
thrive. We combine 153 years of experience with new technologies and
insights to serve as a trusted partner for food, agriculture, financial
and industrial customers in more than 125 countries. Side-by-side, we
are building a stronger, sustainable future for agriculture.

About COFCO International

With 12,000 people in 35 countries, COFCO International is the overseas
agriculture business platform for COFCO Corporation, China’s largest
food and agriculture company. COFCO International is focused on being a
leader in the global grains, oilseeds and sugar supply chains, with
assets across the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific. The company trades
with over 50 nations, while providing farmers unique direct access to
the growing Chinese market. In 2017, COFCO International handled over
100 million tonnes of related commodities with revenues of $34bn. The
company is accelerating its growth to create a world-class integrated
global agriculture supply chain, anchored in China and competing
globally.

About Louis Dreyfus Company

Louis Dreyfus Company is a leading merchant and processor of
agricultural goods. We leverage our global reach and extensive asset
network to serve our customers around the world, delivering the right
products to the right location, at the right time – safely, responsibly
and reliably. Our activities span the entire value chain from farm to
fork, across a broad range of business lines (platforms). Since 1851 our
portfolio has grown to include Oilseeds, Grains, Freight, Global
Markets, Coffee, Cotton, Sugar, Rice, Dairy and Juice. We help feed and
clothe some 500 million people every year by originating, processing and
transporting approximately 81 million tons of products. Structured as a
matrix organization of 6 geographical regions and 10 platforms, Louis
Dreyfus Company is active in over 100 countries and employs
approximately 17,000 people globally. For more information, visit www.ldc.com
and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Note on Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the
meaning of U.S. federal securities laws, including statements regarding
the anticipated development, success and benefits of the proposed
digital platform. These statements are made under the “safe harbor”
provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such
as “will” and “expect” and similar statements. Forward-looking
statements are not historical facts and involve inherent risks and
uncertainties. Several factors could cause actual results to differ
materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement,
including in this case the risk that the platform may not be successful
or fully achieve the objectives of the participants. Further information
regarding risks associated with forward-looking statements is included
in Bunge Limited’s and Archer Daniels Midland Company’s filings with the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All statements herein are made
as of the date of this press release, and the participants undertake no
obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement,
whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except
as required under applicable law.

Contacts

ADM
Jackie Anderson (USA)
media@adm.com

LDC
Karen Saddler
(Switzerland)
media@ldc.com

Bunge
Susan Burns (USA)
news@bunge.com

Cargill
April Nelson
(USA)
media@cargill.com

COFCO International
Allan
Virtanen (Switzerland)
press@cofcointernational.com

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