Astarta agricultural and industrial holding, the largest sugar producer in Ukraine, has invested $71 million in the development of grain infrastructure under the Grain of Astarta investment program launched in 2014. According to a posting of the company on its Facebook page, over the past two years Astarta build four silos in Poltava region and bought Krasyliv silo in Khmelnytsky region.
“The grain infrastructure development program, launched by the company in 2014, has so far been implemented in the form of seven modern (both newly-built and modernized) silos with a total capacity of 550,000 tonnes, as well as its own fleet of 200 railway cars,” the agricultural holding said.
In general, since the beginning of the program, the company has invested $71 million in this direction.
“Starting Grain of Astarta as a program for expanding facilities for our own needs, we have reached the level of providing services and developing eco-systems that are formed around our infrastructure facilities. And we do not stop there. We see great prospects for development and are considering new partnership projects in Chernihiv and Poltava regions,” Astarta Executive Officer Valeriy Sokolenko said.
Astarta is a vertically integrated agribusiness holding operating in eight regions of Ukraine. The holding includes eight sugar factories, agricultural enterprises with a land bank of 243,000 hectares and dairy farms, a biogas plant and a soybean processing complex in Poltava region.
Grain and leguminous crop harvest in Ukraine in 2019 was around 75 million tonnes compared with 70.1 million tonnes in 2018, according to the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture.
“According to the ministry, the grain harvest amounted to about 75 million tonnes, of which 54 million tonnes will be exported to foreign markets. We will receive final forecasts for grain production in March according to the State Statistics Service,” Deputy Minister of economic, Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture Taras Vysotsky said.
The ministry said that as of January 10, 2019 and from the beginning of the 2019/2020 agricultural year (July-June), Ukraine exported 32.08 million tonnes of grain, which is 7.8 million tonnes more than in the same period of the previous agri-year.
In particular, the following crops were delivered to foreign markets: 15.1 million tonnes of wheat, 12.8 million tonnes of corn, 3.8 million tonnes of barley, and 5,000 tonnes of rye.
In addition, 197,000 tonnes of wheat flour and other crops were exported, which is 68,500 tonnes more than in the corresponding period of the previous agri-year.
Ukraine since the beginning of the agricultural year 2019/2020 (July-June) has exported 31.7 million tonnes of grain and leguminous crops, which is 27.8% more than during the same time in the past agri-year.
According to the information of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumers’ Protection, the country has currently exported almost 15 million tonnes of wheat (including over 11.7 million tonnes of bread wheat and over 3.2 million tonnes of coarse wheat), 12.8 million tonnes of corn, and 3.6 million tonnes of barley.
Over the same period of the previous agri-year, over 24.8 million tonnes of grains were exported, including 10.8 million tonnes of wheat (6.7 million tonnes of bread wheat and 4.1 million tonnes of coarse wheat), 10.4 million tonnes of corn and over 3 million tonnes of barley.
As reported, Ukraine in the 2018/2019 agri-year exported a record 50.4 million tonnes of grain, legumes and flour, which is 23% more than in the previous agri-year.
Nibulon (Mykolaiv), one of the largest grain traders in Ukraine, in 2019 increased its crop yield by 9% compared to the previous year, to 367,000 tonnes, of which 138,000 tonnes was wheat. According to the company’s website, a total of 22 divisions of the company in 12 regions harvested 160,000 tonnes of early crops and 207,000 tonnes of later crops.
The company said the highest yield of sunflower was recorded at the branches of Prybuzhanivska (Mykolaiv region) with 3.52 tonnes/ha, Mriya (Khmelnytsky region) and Kupianska (Kharkiv region) with 2.91 tonnes/ha, corn at Khmilnyk (Vinnytsia region) with 10.64 tonnes/ha and Romanivska (Zhytomyr region) with 9.7 tonnes/ha, sorghum at Bilovodska (Luhansk region) with 6.43 tonnes/ha. In the group of early grain, the leaders were the branches of Mykolaiv region: wheat with 5.38 tonnes/ha (Vradiyevska) and rapeseeds with 3.02 tonnes/ha (Lidiyevske).
Nibulon LLC was established in 1991. It is one of the largest operators in the grain market of Ukraine.
Nibulon cultivates 82,000 hectares of land in 12 regions of Ukraine. It exports agricultural products to more than 70 countries. The annual export volume exceeds 5 million tonnes.
Ukraine since the beginning of the 2019/2020 marketing year (MY, July-June) and as of December 23, 2019 had exported 29.35 million tonnes of grain and leguminous plants, which is 35% more than on the same date of the previous MY.
According to the information and analytical portal of the agro-industrial complex of Ukraine, to date the country has exported 14.5 million tonnes of wheat, 10.9 million tonnes of corn, and 3.7 million tonnes of barley.
As of December 23 of this year, 182,400 tonnes of flour were also exported.
As reported, Ukraine in the 2018/2019 MY exported a record 50.4 million tonnes of grain, legumes and flour, which is 23% more than in the previous MY.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in November raised its forecast for grain exports for the 2019/2020 MY by 500,000 tonnes compared with the October forecast, to 54.94 million tonnes.
Ukraine since the beginning of the agricultural year 2019/2020 (July-June) and as of December 6, 2019 had exported 26 million tonnes of grain and leguminous crops, which is 35.3% more than on the same time in the past agri-year. According to the information and analytical portal of the agro-industrial complex of Ukraine, the country has currently exported 13.73 million tonnes of wheat, 8.44 million tonnes of corn, and 3.51 million tonnes of barley.
As of December 6 of this year, 160,600 tonnes of flour had been also exported.
As reported, Ukraine in the 2018/2019 agri-year exported a record 50.4 million tonnes of grain, legumes and flour, which is 23% more than in the previous agri-year.
