KUMPULAN Guthrie Bhd's proposed rationalisation exercise is seen by plantation analysts and industry observers as a move by the plantation giant to position itself as a global plantation player on its own, and not as part of the government's proposed merger of all Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB)-linked plantation companies.
Plantation analysts that StarBiz spoke to concurred that Guthrie's proposed rationalisation was timely and came as no surprise, since many plantation companies within the PNB fold are intensively undergoing internal restructure.