Moves by Fonterra and the Ministry of Primary Industries following the agrichemical scare appear to have largely assured markets that New Zealand dairy products are safe, Westpac economist Nathan Penny says.
Fonterra has moved to persuade global customers that New Zealand dairy products are safe to consume, in the wake of the discovery of dicyandiamide residue in milk.
Australian-based Morningstar Equities is less enthusiastic about the prospects of the Fonterra Shareholders Holder Fund than most of its New Zealand counterparts.
The price of Fonterra's units is expected to rise further next week when it joins the NZX-50, Craigs Investment Partners broker Chris Timms says.
Sir Henry van der Heyden has signed off as chairman of dairy giant Fonterra after a decade in the role.
Retail demand for Fonterra units remains high with the price of units trading at $7.15 yesterday, which was up from the $5.50 listing price.
Otago primary school children can expect to receive a free daily serving of milk next year, as part of a national bid to become ''the dairy nutrition capital of the world''.
Christmas has come early for Fonterra farmer shareholders with the dairy giant lifting its 2012-13 season payout forecast range by 25c to $5.90-$6.
Fonterra shareholders will be able to meet director candidates during roadshows in the South tomorrow.
Demand for units in the Fonterra Shareholder Fund surged yesterday, with $133 million worth of trading in the three hours following the launch of Trading Among Farmers.
Fonterra units have been valued at the top of the range at $5.50 each but demand is expected to push them up even further when trading begins on the NZX on Friday.
Many farmer shareholders seem to be taking a "wait and see" approach before selling economic rights of shares into the Fonterra Shareholders Fund, the dairy co-operative says.
Fonterra's newly-acquired milk-processing plant at Studholme, near Waimate, has already broken a record - producing 924 metric tonnes of whole milk powder in a week.
Fonterra will not comment on a report out of Beijing that China Investment Corp is seeking a stake in the Fonterra Shareholders Fund, which is still in its formative stages, a spokesman for the co-operative says.
Fonterra is continuing its expansion in China with the purchase of two more big dairy farms in Hebei Province.
Trading Among Farmers could be the start of a "highly innovative and exciting chapter" in Fonterra's history, Federated Farmers dairy chairman Willy Leferink believes.
Units in Fonterra's Shareholders Fund, which will raise up to $525 million, are expected to go on sale on November 5.
The high value of the New Zealand dollar has cost Fonterra's farmer-shareholders about $1 billion in lost revenue, Federated Farmers dairy spokesman Willy Leferink says.
Dairy co-operative Fonterra yesterday reported an improved profit for the year ended June but a reduced payout for farmers, with warnings already that next season's payout will be even lower.
Dairy giants are coming under increasing pressure to reveal how much of a controversial "snot-like" byproduct they put in their milk.
