How do Food & Agriculture companies insure their plants abroad?

Multiple positive benefits come with international insurance programs.

They allow for controlling the scope of coverage and the cost of insurance from the level of the parent company by one person responsible for the risk or insurance. It is easy to obtain a homogenous and possibly the broadest scope of insurance coverage for the entire company without leaving any gaps. International programs usually mean higher limits and broader protection than those locally available for individual companies or plants.

Thanks to their wide scope and uniform structure, international programs come with a lower premium. This is not always guaranteed, but in most cases, the premium is lower than one negotiated with many different offers for individual companies/subsidiaries.

The conclusion of an international program allows a higher level of deductible. A group of companies, acting as a whole, can retain a higher share than a single entity. The higher risk levels remaining with the client, the smaller share of risk transferred to the insurer and the lower the final premium.

In the international program, people responsible for risk or insurance have access to all claims data, which allows for better analysis of causes and minimization of unacceptable risks. Finally, control over claims also means more effective claims handling by insurers.

However, there are several elements where international programs will not always be sufficient, and a better solution would be insurance taken on the local market. For example, there are risks exclusive to one company which do not exist at a group level (e.g. crop insurance). Also, we should not forget insurance that requires local service (e.g. health or accident insurance for employees).

As seen above, from the parent company’s point of view, international programmes have many advantages but do not always cover 100% of the risks associated with the activities of local companies. Therefore, the best solution is to combine both insurances. Use an international programme for those risks and assets managed at the group level and attach local policies (to the extent that the programme does not offer full coverage).

Based on this assumption, the best solution for the client will be to use the professional assistance of an experienced broker in both the development of international programmes and with a good understanding of the local market in the many countries where he actively works. GrECo is such a choice.