Business news from Ukraine

UKRAINIAN KERNEL PLACES $300 MLN EUROBONDS

Kernel, one of the largest Ukrainian agricultural groups, has placed $300 million eurobonds with a coupon rate of 6.5% and maturity in 2024, one of the market participants has told Interfax-Ukraine.
According to him, the pricing was set at 6.625%, the securities were sold at a price of 99.475% of the face value.
The organizers of the placement were ING Bank, JP Morgan.
The company did not comment on this information to the agency, saying that the details were planned to be released on October 17.
As reported, in January 2017 Kernel placed eurobonds worth $500 million. The maturity date of Kernel’s debut eurobonds was January 31, 2022, and the coupon rate was set at 8.75% per annum.
Kernel is the world’s largest producer and exporter of sunflower oil, the leading producer and supplier of agricultural products from the Black Sea region to world markets.

,

NAMSEN LIMITED BUILDS UP 39.97% STAKE IN UKRAINIAN KERNEL

Namsen Limited, a legal entity under control of Board Chairman of Kernel agricultural holding Andriy Verevsky, from October 3 through October 7, 2019 acquired 36,898 shares in Kernel Holding S.A. (Luxembourg) at average PLN 42.74 per share ($10.85 under the current exchange rate).
According to a company report on the website of the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE), the company increased its stake in Kernel from 39.93% to 39.97%, and the total number of shares held by Namsen increased to 32.7454 million.
Kernel is the world’s largest producer and exporter of sunflower oil, the leading manufacturer and supplier of agricultural products from the Black Sea region to the world markets.

, ,

UKRAINE’S KERNEL PLANS TO PLACE $300-350 MLN EUROBONDS

Kernel Holding S.A. (Luxembourg), the holding company of Ukraine’s Kernel agricultural and industrial group, plans to place $300-350 million eurobonds (loan participation notes, LPN), a source in banking circles has told Interfax-Ukraine.
The company intends to hold a conference call with investors on October 1, and meetings in London and New York on October 2. The organizers of the transaction are JP Morgan and ING.
Kernel plans to place either eurobonds with a maturity of five years and a call option after three years, or seven-year eurobonds with a call option after four years.
Kernel is the world’s largest producer and exporter of sunflower oil, the leading producer and supplier of agricultural goods from the Black Sea region to the world markets.

,

KERNEL EXTENDS $100 MLN CREDIT LINE FOR ONE YEAR, RECEIVES ADDITIONAL TRANCHE OF $200 MLN

Kernel, a large Ukrainian agricultural group, has entered into an amendment and restatement agreement with a syndicate of European banks and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on extending for one year its $100 million pre-export credit facility until June 30, 2022, the group has reported on the website of the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE).
According to the report, on September 23, 2019, Kernel signed the amendment and restatement agreement to its pre-export credit facility dated February 2, 2018. Total available limit under amended facility was increased up to $300 million by adding additional tranche of $200 million maturing on June 30, 2021.
Pre-export credit facility will be used by the company to fund the working capital needs of its grain trading and transshipment business in Ukraine.
Kernel is the world’s largest producer and exporter of sunflower oil, the leading producer and supplier of agricultural goods from the Black Sea region to the world markets.

, ,

EBRD APPROVES ISSUE OF $120 MLN LOAN TO UKRAINIAN KERNEL

The board of directors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has approved the issuance of up to $120 million to one of the largest Ukrainian agricultural groups, Kernel, on two projects within a syndicated loan to finance working capital.
According to information on the EBRD’s website, the decision was made on September 4.
Within the framework of one project, in particular, Kernel may receive up to $80 million to finance working capital, which is associated with the procurement, storage, transportation and sale of grains for export.
The total project cost is $300 million.
In addition, under another project, the EBRD intends to issue up to $40 million in the form of participation in a syndicated loan to finance Kernel’s working capital, which is related to the purchase, storage, processing, transportation of oilseeds and vegetable oil, as well as sale for export.
The cost of the entire project is estimated at $390 million.
Kernel is the world’s largest producer and exporter of sunflower oil, the leading producer and supplier of agricultural goods from the Black Sea region to the world markets.

, ,

STATE-OWNED UKRAINIAN SEA PORTS AUTHORITY AND KERNEL AGREE ON CONSTRUCTION OF TERMINAL AT CHORNOMORSK SEAPORT

State-owned enterprise (SOE) Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority and one of the largest Ukrainian agricultural groups Kernel have signed an agreement of cooperation, foreseeing investment of the group in the development of infrastructure of the Chornomorsk seaport in the amount of over UAH 3 billion.
According to the press service of the authority, under the agreement, by the end of 2020, the port plans to dredge near four berths and build a new grain terminal, which will increase transshipment to 6 million tonnes.
“The agreement between the Sea Ports Authority and Kernel is a good example of public private partnership and the next step in the systemic development of the port of Chornomorsk, which the authority is engaged in. This year we completed a large-scale main dredging project on the port’s approach canal and the water area of the first boot basin of the Sukhy estuary and we immediately proceed to the creation of the depths necessary for business at the berths No. 14-17. The Kernel company, for its part, has committed to guarantee the volume of cargo traffic of at least 6 million tonnes per year. This will contribute to a quick payback on capital investment of the authority,” the press service of the authority said, citing its head Raivis Veckagans.
He also added that the implementation of the project will help improve the conditions for the export of products of Ukrainian enterprises, increase ship calls and create about 250 new jobs in the port of Chornomorsk.
In turn, Kernel CEO Yevhen Osipov said that agribusiness is now the locomotive of the Ukrainian economy, so the company’s strategic goal by 2020 is to increase grain exports to 8.8 million tonnes via launching a new terminal in Chornomorsk.
According to the report, the volume of investments in the public private partnership project by the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority will amount to almost UAH 230 million.

, ,