EINBECK (dpa-AFX) - After nine months, KWS Saat is confident of more in the current fiscal year. The seed producer now expects an increase in sales of between six and eight percent for the year as a whole (until the end of June), as the SDax-listed company announced in Einbeck on Tuesday. Previously, KWS had only targeted growth of three to five percent. The operating margin (EBIT margin) is also expected to be between 15 and 17 percent, after the company had previously forecast only 11 to 13 percent.

According to preliminary figures, turnover rose by ten percent to 1.36 billion euros between July and the end of March. The operating result (EBIT) shot up by 48 percent to 336.4 million euros - in particular due to good business in the sugar beet segment. The figures relate to KWS Saat's continuing operations, so the recently sold corn business in South America is already excluded.

KWS Saat plans to present its final figures for the first nine months of the fiscal year on May 14./niw/stk