Agrexco set for liquidation

Agrexco, the international produce and horticulture producer based in Israel, will be liquidated—according to a report on Globes.co.il. Authorities will now try to sell Agrexco as a "going concern" but will no longer be able to sell the company in its entirety.

The company’s bondholders rejected a debt settlement offer by the government-controlled company, which would have included a “haircut” of more than 80 percent. The bondholders’ rejection was unanimous and they expect other unsecured creditors to join them.

The Government Companies Authority owns 30 percent of Agrexco, Tnuva Food Industries Ltd. owns 11 percent, and the Plants Production and Marketing Board owns 57 percent. The Plants Production and Marketing Board is controlled by the Israeli Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Agriculture, basically rendering it another branch of the government.

The institutional bondholders claim that they invested in Agrexco in the understanding that a government controlled company would guarantee it should it ever become mired in difficulties, and that now the government was shirking its responsibilities with a “shrug of the shoulders.”

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