By Ben Otto

Wilmar International Ltd.'s first-half net profit rose 50%, as the company was little affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and experienced higher contributions across core segments.

Net profit was $610.9 million, up from $407.9 million a year earlier, the Singapore-based agribusiness giant said Tuesday. Core net profit rose 49% to $635.9 million.

Revenue rose 12% to $22.66 billion, driven partly by a steep rise in consumer-product sales as people ate more often at home due to the pandemic.

As a producer of essential food and nonfood products, Wilmar said its operations weren't significantly affected by global lockdowns and disruptions caused by the pandemic.

For the rest of the year, the company said it expects its food-product segment and feed-and-industrial-product segment to perform well, adding that a recent increase in palm prices would boost its plantations business. "We are cautiously optimistic that our second half performance will be satisfactory," the company said. 



  Write to Ben Otto at ben.otto@wsj.com