Agro-industrial holding Astarta, Ukraine’s largest sugar producer, reduced its total revenue to EUR 125 million in January-April 2025, down 25% from the same period last year, due to lower sales prices for a number of products and lower sales volumes, the agro-holding’s press service reported.
“EBITDA amounted to EUR27 million compared to EUR29 million in the first quarter of 2024, while profitability by this indicator increased by 4 percentage points to 21%. Exports of products, amounting to EUR73 million, accounted for 59% of total revenue compared to 69% in the first quarter of 2024,” the company said in a report.
At the same time, revenue from the crop production segment decreased by 49% year-on-year to EUR 37 million due to lower sales volumes. Exports accounted for 71% of the segment’s revenue (-20 percentage points year-on-year).
At the same time, in mid-May, Astarta’s enterprises successfully completed the spring sowing campaign. The final crop structure for 2025 is as follows: sugar beet – 34 thousand hectares (-12% y/y), soybeans – 56 thousand hectares (-21% y/y), winter wheat – 46 thousand hectares (-5% y/y), sunflower – 29 thousand hectares (+57% y/y), rapeseed – 11 thousand hectares (-8% y/y), corn – 11 thousand hectares (-5% y/y). ha (−5% y/y), sunflower – 29 thousand ha (+57% y/y), rapeseed – 11 thousand ha (−8% y/y), corn – 14 thousand ha (almost three times more y/y), organic crops – 2 thousand ha (no change y/y).
Revenue from Astarta’s sugar segment decreased by 5% y-o-y to EUR41 million, due to a 12% y-o-y decline in sugar prices and slightly lower sales volumes of by-products. This was partially offset by an 11% y-o-y increase in sugar sales. Sugar exports accounted for 47% of the segment’s revenue (down 4 p.p. y-o-y).
In volume terms, the company’s sugar exports accounted for 46% of total sugar sales, or 36,000 tons (+9% y-o-y). Almost half of this volume was exported by sea. The main export destinations were Libya, Israel, and the UAE, according to the agricultural holding.
Soybean processing at Astarta remained at last year’s level of EUR29 million. Exports accounted for 92% of the total, compared with 88% in the first quarter of 2024. Soybean processing volume amounted to 63,000 tons (+3% y/y).
The agricultural holding’s livestock production in January-April 2025 increased its revenue by 26% y/y to EUR 17 million, which is explained by higher sales prices. Milk sales amounted to 31 thousand tons (+1% y/y). All products were sold on the domestic market. The average livestock population was 29 thousand heads (+6% y/y). Total milk production amounted to 32 thousand tons (+1% y/y).
In January-April of this year, Astarta continued to develop its ecosystem of responsible partnership, in particular the Common Help Ukraine project, established jointly with the Believe in Yourself charitable foundation. According to the agricultural holding, the total value of charitable and humanitarian aid since the launch of the project has exceeded EUR35.3 million.
Astarta is a vertically integrated agro-industrial holding operating in eight regions of Ukraine. It comprises six sugar factories, agricultural enterprises with a land bank of 220,000 hectares, dairy farms with 22,000 head of cattle, an oil extraction plant in Hlobine (Poltava region), seven elevators, and a biogas complex.
In the first nine months of 2024, Astarta increased its net profit by 35.1% compared to the same period in 2023, to EUR75.60 million. The agricultural holding’s revenue grew by 12.6% to EUR441.46 million, and EBITDA by 12.8% to $131.56 million.
