TROPICAL fruit suppliers Fyffes and Chiquita have adjusted the terms of their merger deal in a move that will give shareholders in the US firm a bigger slice of the merged group.

The agreement with the directors of Dublin-based Fyffes, best known for its bananas, comes at a time Chiquita is said to be the subject of rival takeover interest.

Chiquita shareholders are expected to own approximately 59.6 per cent of the merged busines, an increase from 50.7 per cent initially tabled.