MHP, Ukraine’s largest chicken producer, has signed a shareholder agreement to establish a joint venture with Desert Hills Veterinary Services Company Limited (DHV), a subsidiary of Tanmiah Food Company, a leading supplier of poultry and other meat products in the Middle East listed on the Saudi stock market.
“This partnership will allow DHV and MHP to join forces to invest over SAR 200 million (about $53 million at current exchange rates) in farms with a capacity of over 1 million parent flocks, which are expected to produce around 175 million hatching eggs per year, in a state-of-the-art hatchery and poultry feed mill,” MHP said in a statement to the London Stock Exchange on Friday.
Building on the foundation laid by the Memorandum of Understanding signed earlier this year, DHV will hold a 55% stake and MHP will hold a 45% stake in the joint venture.
According to the agroholding, this year MHP and DHV signed a memorandum of understanding to cement their partnership to join forces to develop farms with a capacity of more than 1 million birds, which will produce about 175 million hatching eggs annually. A modern poultry hatchery and feed mill will also be built in Saudi Arabia.
“The deepening of our alliance with Tanmia is a strategic turning point in MHP’s global reach. This partnership symbolizes our shared vision of integrating international expertise with local knowledge and ensuring that Saudi Arabia achieves its food security goals. Our collective strengths will catalyze transformational achievements in the poultry sector, driving innovation and setting new standards of excellence,” said John Rich, MHP Executive Chairman.
“Our collaboration with MHP means more than just a partnership; it reflects our commitment to strengthening Saudi Arabia’s food security system. By leveraging our local knowledge combined with global best practices, our portfolio of first-class products, services and solutions demonstrates our commitment (…) to the broader goals of Vision 2030,” said Zulfiqar Hamadani, CEO of Tanmiah Food Company (a subsidiary of DHV).
According to the report, the signing of the shareholders’ agreement is a crucial step in the establishment of the joint venture after obtaining the necessary approvals, including the permission of the General Authority for Competition of Saudi Arabia and other relevant jurisdictions.
The signing ceremony was attended by Sheikh Amr Al-Dabbagh, Chairman of the Board of Tanmiah Food Company (a subsidiary of DHV), as well as members of the Board and executive management of the company, representatives of the Saudi government, and Ambassador of Ukraine to Saudi Arabia Anatoliy Petrenko. MHP’s Board was represented by Executive Chairman John Rich and Managing Director Yevgeny Levterov.
Tanmiah Food Company is a leading supplier of poultry and other meat products in the Middle East, listed on the Saudi stock market. The company was founded in 1962. Its business model combines enterprises in agriculture, primary processing and marketing of products sold in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan and Kuwait. Tanmiah Food Company is the main franchisee of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen.
As of June 30, 2023, Tanmiah operates 114 farms, as well as six hatcheries, two feed mills and four primary processing plants (slaughterhouses). It sells its products through a network of wholesalers, retailers and food outlets, as well as through its e-commerce platform.
MHP is the largest producer of chicken in Ukraine. It also produces grain, sunflower oil, and processed meat products. MHP supplies chilled chicken half-carcasses to the European market, which are processed, in particular, at its facilities in the Netherlands and Slovakia. In February 2019, the holding completed the acquisition of the Slovenian company Perutnina Ptuj.
In 2021, MHP earned $393 million in consolidated net profit against a net loss of $133 million in 2020, while its revenue increased by 25% to $2.37 billion. In the first nine months of 2022, the agricultural group reported a net loss of $269 million, compared to a profit of $377 million in January-September 2021, and its revenue increased by 14% to $1.88 billion.
In the first quarter of 2023, MHP’s revenue increased by 34.7% compared to the first quarter of 2022 to $745.60 million, and net profit amounted to $49.07 million compared to $108.25 million (at the same time, exchange rate gain amounted to $4.18 million compared to exchange rate loss of $95.32 million).
MHP’s founder, majority shareholder and chairman of the board is Ukrainian businessman Yuriy Kosyuk.
