KUALA LUMPUR: Guan Chong Bhd
(GCB) is cautiously optimistic with the company’s near-term prospects as beyond short-term shocks, the year 2022 has shown signs of being an international year of recovery, spurred by loosening pandemic restrictions and newly reopened borders.
Chairman Tan Ah Lai said the group faced another challenging year in financial year 2021 (FY2021) as the protracted COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical tensions contributed to global inflation and supply chain disruptions.
"We are operating within an undeniably turbulent macroeconomic environment where existing imbalances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have been exacerbated by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, creating a knock-on effect on consumer demand, business confidence and the global supply chain.
"Despite the sluggish global economy and logistical challenges, customers’ demand for cocoa-derived ingredients remained strong in 2021, resulting in a good increase in our production capacity and turnover compared to 2020. However, due to the fall in cocoa butter prices, we have recorded lower profitability in 2021,” he said in the FY2021 annual report.
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