LONDON, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Miner and trader Glencore ( GLCNF )

said on Wednesday that its long-term strategy could

involve the sale of its 16.4% stake in enlarged global

agribusiness Bunge Global ( BG ) some time in the future.

Glencore ( GLCNF ) became the owner of the 16.4% stake after Bunge

closed a long-delayed deal to merge with Glencore ( GLCNF )-backed grain

handler Viterra in July, two years after announcing the $34

billion mega-deal.

"The agriculture business is not necessarily consistent with

our business model," Glencore ( GLCNF ) CEO Gary Nagle told a media call

on Wednesday after the company released its first-half financial

results. "Having a 16.4% shareholding in Bunge is probably not

something that would be for Glencore ( GLCNF ) in the long term."

He added that this did not mean Glencore ( GLCNF ) would be in a rush

to sell the stake, and if it ever decided to do that "we would

do it in absolute collaboration and conjunction with Bunge, its

board and its management".

The merger with Viterra enhanced Bunge's grain exporting and

oilseed processing businesses in the United States and expanded

Bunge's export capacity and physical grain storage and handling

footprint in major wheat suppliers Canada and Australia,

according to analysts.

Glencore's ( GLCNF ) aim is to maximise the value of this investment,

while the possible "exit of that at some stage in the future

would be done very smartly and carefully to ensure that we

preserve that value," the CEO added.

Glencore ( GLCNF ) said on July 2 that its 16.4% stake in enlarged

Bunge had a market value of $2.6 billion at the deal close, and

that those shares were viewed by the miner as a surplus capital.