Fruit distributor Fyffes has reported a 0.8% increase in total revenues for last year, while earnings per share rose by 26.6% to 11.17 cent.
Total revenues, which includes the group's share of its joint ventures, came in at €1.091 billion, on the back of organic growth in the pineapple and melon divisions, which was offset by price deflation in bananas and pineapples.
Fyffes said its adjusted pre-tax profits for the year to the end of December increased by 25.3% to €39m.
The board has proposed a final dividend for 2014 of €1.673 cent per share, up 12.3% on the previous year. Total dividends for 2014 are up 10% to €2.387 cent.
The company's chief executive David McCann said that 2014 was the company's sixth year of earnings growth in a row.
He said the company was targeting EBIT for this year of between €36-42m compared to €40.1m last year.
Mr McCann said that the company is pursuing necessary increases in selling prices in all markets in response to the significant strengthening of the US dollar against the euro and sterling in recent months.
"The group is focused on continuing to grow the business and is actively pursuing a promising number of attractive acquisitions opportunities," he added.
Fyffes said it saw a "modest" increase in operating profits in its banana category last year on the back of low single digit price inflation, which was somewhat offset by the benefit of a weakening of the US dollar against the euro and sterling.
Overall banana volumes were marginally higher, although it noted some changes in the mix of customers.
The company said it also saw an improved result in its pineapple business with a fall in production costs, especially in its operations in Costa Rica. Fyffes increased its pineapple volumes by 10% last year with 65% of this being produced on the group's own farms.
Fyffes' US melons business also delivered a strong result last year as farming efficiency continued to improve, which contributed to a low double digit increase in volumes. The company also noted a "satisfactory" start to the 2014-2015 import season.
Balmoral International Land Holdings, in which Fyffes has a 40% stake, reported its final results for 2013 in August 2014 and they showed a small profit for the first time since 2007. Fyffes said its share of its net assets increased to €0.6m from €0.4m at the end of last year.
Fyffes said it incurred professional and advisory fees and other costs of €14.3m in relation to the failed merger deal with Chiquita last year. After the termination of the proposed deal, Chiquita paid €18.6m to the company in relation to the obligations under the terms of the merger deal.
