SALIC UK Ltd, the common investor in the merged business CFG/Mriya, plans to send over $50 million for boosting technical fleet in 2019.
“Now there is new equipment for $10 million. This year it is planned to send more than $50 million to the technical fleet,” Chief Integration Officer of the merged company CFG/Mriya Georg von Nolcken said during the presentation of the new technology on Friday.
CFG/Mriya recently received another batch of new agricultural equipment purchased in the production season 2019. In addition to the 17 units of trailed agricultural equipment purchased early March, the agricultural holding expanded its technical fleet with 13 370-hp and 18 240-hp Massey Ferguson tractors, 10 New Holland self-propelled sprayers and other tillage and special equipment worth $8.7 million
In general, since the beginning of the year, CFG/Mriya has expanded its technical fleet with 60 units of agricultural equipment worth $11 million, and in the near future, another 190 units are expected to be delivered.
For the harvesting campaign for the next few months, it is also planned to purchase combines, loaders and transport trailers.
Mriya Agro Holding is a vertically integrated agribusiness, which was founded by Ivan Huta in 1992. The holding’s land bank is 165,000 hectares. Its grain elevators are able to store 380,000 tonnes.
In August 2014, Mriya reported an overdue payment of about $9 million in interest income and about $120 million in repayment of debt on its obligations. The total debt to all financial creditors, taking into account the guarantees provided to the companies related to the Huta family, was about $1.3 billion at the time of the holding’s default.
In early February 2015, the operating control of the holding was transferred to creditors who elected the new management, and in September 2016 the committees of creditors and bondholders of the holding agreed on the conditions for the restructuring of the company’s debt, which was estimated at $1.1 billion. The debt restructuring ended in August 2018. Mriya’s total debt burden decreased from $1.1 billion to $309.5 million, which included $49.3 million in restructured secured debt, $208.1 million in restructured unsecured debt (eurobonds), $46 million in working capital, and $6.1 million in assets under a new leasing program for the purchase of equipment.
In September 2018, SALIC UK Limited announced the acquisition of the holding. The deal was completed in November 2018.
Mriya continues operations in Ukraine together with SALIC UK’s subsidiary, CFG.
The Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company (SALIC) was founded in 2012. Its sole shareholder is the Sovereign Fund of Saudi Arabia. The company invests in the production of agricultural and livestock products.
CFG has been operating in Ukraine since 2006. It cultivates 45,000 hectares of land in Lviv and Ternopil regions.
