Total Produce dividend unchanged

IRISH fruit and vegetable distributor Total Produce has kept its half-year dividend for shareholders unchanged at 54c per share, despite seeing pre-tax profits fall by 2.3% to €24.3 million for the first six months of 2009.

That profit dip was joined by a 4.7% year-on-year drop in earnings before interest, tax and amortisation (EBITA) to €26.3m and a 0.7% decline in first half adjusted earnings per share to 4.06c. Basic earnings per share amounted to 3.42c, down by 5.3% on the same period last year.

Group revenue, however, was boosted by the contribution from bolt-on acquisitions and joint-ventures and rose by 1.2% to just over €1.31 billion.