Kernel Agro Holding, one of the largest agricultural companies in Ukraine, processed 951 thousand tons of oilseeds, including 17 thousand tons of rapeseed, in the fourth quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2024, bringing the total processing volume to 3.2 million tons in FY 2024.
“This represents an increase of 27% year-on-year, primarily due to new crushing capacity added in February 2024 and the commissioning of a new oil extraction plant in Western Ukraine,” the company explained in a report to the Warsaw Stock Exchange on Monday.
According to the report, sales of sunflower oil in April-June 2024 increased by 1% quarter-on-quarter to 384 thousand tons, including 20 thousand tons of bottled sunflower oil.
The volume of silo acceptance in the fourth quarter of FY2024 was seasonally low and amounted to 53 thsd tonnes, bringing the total production in FY2024 to 2.8 mln tonnes, which is the same as in the same period last year, the agroholding said.
At the same time, the volume of grain exports from Ukraine in the last quarter of the financial year amounted to 1.61 mln tonnes, 46% of which were to foreign buyers. This is 14% less than in the previous quarter, but 2.6 times more than in the same period last year.
“For the whole of fiscal year 2024, Kernel exported 5.5 million tons of grain, up 47% year-on-year. Grain received from external suppliers accounted for 2.6 million tons of the total export volume. The agricultural holding attributed this growth to well-functioning export routes through the Black Sea for most of the year.
In April-June 2024, the transshipment volume of the group’s export terminals decreased by 8% compared to the previous quarter and amounted to 2.3 mln tons, indicating a slowdown in grain exports.
For the whole of FY2024, Kernel transshipped 6.7 mln tons of grain, sunflower oil and meal through its terminals, up 51% year-on-year. This growth was driven by the resumption of export routes through deep-water ports starting in the second quarter of FY2024. Grain accounted for 75% of the total transshipment volume in FY2024, edible oil for 12%, and meal produced from residues.
To improve terminal capacity utilization, the Group provided transshipment services to third parties in FY2024, totaling 486 thousand tons.
“Critically high temperatures and prolonged lack of precipitation in all regions of the group’s presence negatively affected the yield potential of spring crops in the fields, especially soybeans and, to a lesser extent, corn,” the agricultural holding summarized.
Before the war, Kernel Agro Holding was the world’s leading producer of sunflower oil (about 7% of global production) and its exports (about 12%). It is one of the largest producers and sellers of bottled oil in Ukraine. In addition, it is engaged in the cultivation and sale of agricultural products.
Kernel’s net profit for FY2023 amounted to $299 million, while the company ended the previous year with a net loss of $41 million. The agricultural holding’s revenue for FY2023 decreased by 35% to $3.455 billion, but EBITDA increased 2.5 times to $544 million.
In the first half of FY2024, Kernel’s net profit fell 3.6 times compared to the first half of FY2023, to $102 million, and EBITDA halved to $223 million, with revenue down 16% to $1.59 billion.
