Business news from Ukraine

“Kernel” has bought “Ilyichevsk Oil and Fats Plant” for UAH 697 mln

The liquidation commission has sold the property of Ilyichevsk Oil and Fats Plant LLC (Chernomorsk, Odessa Region) for UAH 696.66 million to Poltava-Zerno LLC, 95% of which belongs to the Kernel agricultural holding.

According to information in Prozorro.Sale, the auction was held on July 26 with a starting price of UAH 689.6 million, and Poltava-Zerno was the only participant.

It is specified that the buyer has already paid UAH 55.04 million of the guarantee fee, part of which in the amount of UAH 13.93 million went to the remuneration of the operator of the electronic platform – LLC “Onylan-Market”.

The new owner received, in particular, a land plot of 8.58 hectares with communications, where the plant is located, a complex of buildings and structures, as well as transport, tanks, reservoirs, production lines, minibus and other property.

Ilyichevsk Oil and Fats Plant LLC is bankrupt. According to open data opendatabot.ua, as of 2020 its assets were estimated at UAH 205.324 million, profit – UAH 481.721 million, income – UAH 22.836 million. At the same time, debt obligations reached UAH 2.587 billion.

Agroholding “Kernel” before the war ranked first in the world in the production of sunflower oil (about 7% of world production) and its export (about 12%). The company is one of the largest producers and sellers of bottled oil in Ukraine. In addition, the agroholding is engaged in the cultivation of agricultural products and their realization.

The largest co-owner of Kernel through Namsen Ltd. – is Ukrainian businessman Andriy Verevsky, who this year, as part of the buyout and delisting of the company from the Warsaw Stock Exchange, increased his stake from 41.3% to 74.05%.

Kernel’s net profit for the first nine months of 2023FY (January-March 2023) rose 36% to $437 mln, while revenue fell 45% to $2.715 bln.

As reported, Kernel recently reported that 40% of its grain storage and transshipment capacity at the Chernomorsk port was damaged as a result of a missile attack by Russia on the night of July 19, and it will take at least 12 months to restore these assets. In addition to the damage to infrastructure during this attack, a fire at the Chernomorsk port partially destroyed and damaged 60,000 tons of grain prepared for loading onto the large-capacity vessel Alexis and which was to be shipped to China.

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