• Media type: E-Article
  • Title: ABCD and beyond: From grain merchants to agricultural value chain managers
  • Contributor: Clapp, Jennifer
  • imprint: University of Waterloo, 2015
  • Published in: Canadian Food Studies / La Revue canadienne des études sur l'alimentation
  • Language: Not determined
  • DOI: 10.15353/cfs-rcea.v2i2.84
  • ISSN: 2292-3071
  • Origination:
  • Footnote:
  • Description: <jats:p>The world of agricultural commodity trading firms has changed over the years, although corporate concentration has long been a defining feature of this sector. The four dominant agricultural trading firms—the ABCDs (ADM, Bunge, Cargill and Louis-Dreyfus)—have a long history dating back to the 1800s and early 1900s. First established as private, family-owned grain merchant companies with specific geographical specialties, these firms have since evolved to be quite complex companies. They buy and sell grain as well as a host of other agricultural and non-agricultural commodities, while they also undertake a range of activities from finance to production to processing and distribution. New entrants into this space have also taken on complex structures and activities in a bid to stay competitive.</jats:p>
  • Access State: Open Access