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.
Ukraine processed about 4.48 million tons of sunflower seeds in the four months of the 2022/2023 marketing year (MY, September-August), the lowest since 2015/2016 MY.
According to the APK-Inform agency’s website on Monday, oilseed processing was slowed by the crisis in the country’s energy sector, limits on electricity use and deliberate delays by the Russian side in inspecting vessels passing through the “grain corridor.”
According to the agency, a total of 10.4 million tons of sunflower may be processed in Ukraine in 2022/2023 MY, which is 10% less than the previous season, while the export of sunflower oil may decrease by 8% compared to the previous season and amount to 4.15 million tons, the lowest since 2015/2016 MY.
At the same time, a separate factor affecting oilseeds processing and sunflower oil exports in the current season was the growth of exports of sunflower seeds without processing – for September-December 2022, almost 1.2 million tons of them were exported from Ukraine, which was half of the analysts’ forecast for the entire MY.
“This figure is atypically high for the industry, it contributes to a significant increase in competition for raw materials, higher prices for them, even when the price of demand for sunflower oil decreases, and as a result – a more rapid reduction of sunflower supply in the market,” – the agency quotes its analyst Svetlana Kirichok.
She also stressed that one should not expect a substantial increase in processing, at least in February-March 2023, as the situation in the energy sector of Ukraine remains unchanged and the limits on electricity consumption are still in force. In addition, in March the “grain agreement” expires, which will require a new prolongation.
As reported, Ukraine from January 1-15, 2023 exported 93 thousand tons of sunflower seeds, which is 2.5 times less compared to the same period last year, while the export of sunflower oil halved to 148 thousand tons.
Russian missile strikes on Ukraine have left the country’s dairy industry without electricity, resulting in the shutdown of enterprises and disrupted mechanism of product sales, so spot prices for milk in this period can be considered tentative.
As dairy industry analyst Maxim Fasteev said in his Telegram channel, the massive rocket attacks on Ukraine once again show how important the factor of generators availability at the enterprises is now, and this factor will be relevant in the coming months as well.
“Some Ukrainian plants, as well as the population, were left without electricity for almost a day, milk trucks, in some cases, are still waiting for unloading of raw milk (it is good that at least the air temperature helps to preserve the quality of the goods). There is no possibility to resell raw milk, because all processors are in the same conditions. This is all the consequences of another wave of missile strikes of the terrorist country (already officially) on the Ukrainian civil infrastructure,” the expert wrote.
According to his data, milk processing companies continue to meet their obligations on the levels of procurement prices, but in the secondary market is not an issue of value now, because demand for the product is completely absent. Thus, the current spot price of raw milk in Ukraine can be considered conditional.
“Ukrainian exchange commodity prices in the domestic market remain under pressure from lower export (European) quotes, but there are no changes in the skimmed milk powder (SOM)/oil equivalent compared to last week due to the moderate strengthening of the hryvnia against the euro,” the analyst specified in the report.
In addition, last week the spot price of Ukrainian raw milk compared to the EU products was by 38% lower, while during the previous week this indicator was 34%, and the difference of milk equivalents (EM) of REM / butter was 21% (in the previous week -23%).
The expert reminded that the indicator of milk equivalent (EM) – recalculation of the current (spot) cost of dairy commodities in the equivalent of a basic kilogram of raw milk, taking into account the costs and standards of production of these goods.
At a meeting on Friday, the government allocated UAH 320.9 million to provide grants for the creation or development of processing enterprises and for laying orchards as part of the eWork project, the Ministry of Economy reported on Friday.
The agency clarified that UAH 306.5 million of the allocated funds will be directed to the development of processing: 47 applicants will receive grants – 40 legal entities, 5 sole proprietors and two individuals who intend to carry out entrepreneurial activities in the electrical equipment and non-metal mineral products industries.
UAH 14.5 million were allocated for grants for the development of horticulture. They will be received by three farms that plan to plant 40 hectares of land with orchards, raspberries, pigeons and blueberries.
As First Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Economy Yulia Sviridenko noted, entrepreneurs who receive the allocated funds will be able to create more than 900 permanent and seasonal jobs when implementing their business projects.
“In general, we have already transferred more than UAH 220 million to grant recipients in various areas of eWork,” Sviridenko said.
Ukraine in the 2019/2020 MY (September-August) reduced the processing of soybeans by 33.4% due to the growth of their exports, against the doubling of processing soybeans in the 2018/2019 MY.
According to a report on the website of the Ukroliyaprom association, more than 1.8 million tonnes of soybeans, which is 70% of their total exports from Ukraine in 2019/2020, were exported in September-December 2019 (export growth during this period against the corresponding period in 2018 exceeded 250%). For the first time, enterprises were forced to import soybeans in Ukraine.
In the 2019/2020 the production of soybeans amounted to 3.7 million tonnes, of which 1.2 million tonnes were refined for oil, 2.63 million tonnes were exported (for $ 864.9 million). Deliveries were made to Turkey (31.6% share in total exports), the EU (26.6%), Egypt (16.6%) and other states, the association said.
“Due to the limited resources of soybeans, the production of soybean oil and meal in 2019/2020 MY decreased by 8.1% and 9.9%, respectively. A particularly significant decrease in the production of these goods was observed in January-August 2020, respectively by 14.6% and 16.8% (compared to the corresponding period in 2019),” Ukroliyaprom said.
According to the association, in the 2019/2020 MY, the export of soybean oil increased by 0.2%, the export of soybean meal decreased by 9.7%.
Ukroliyaprom’s forecast as of October 1, 2020 for the 2020/2021 MY provides for a decrease in the soybean yield by 18.9%, to 3 million tonnes and a reduction in soybean areas by 14.9%, to 1.34 million hectares.
Poltava mining and processing plant (PGOK, Ferrexpo Poltava Mining, Horishni Plavni, Poltava region), the largest producer of iron ore pellets in Ukraine, by the decision of its sole shareholder, Swiss-based Ferrexpo AG, intends to increase its charter capital by 62.3%, or UAH 1.185 billion through an additional issue of shares without public offering.
The corresponding issue of shares was registered by the National Commission for Securities and the Stock Market of Ukraine on October 18.
At the time of the decision on the issue (July 31 of this year), the charter capital of PGOK amounted to UAH 1.902 billion and was divided into 191 million shares with a par value of UAH 9.96. The sources of increase in the charter capital are cash in foreign currency.
The term for the placement of shares is from October 4 to November 20 of this year.
As reported, Ferrexpo AG, which owned a 99.1167% stake in PGOK, in June of this year forcibly bought back shares from minority shareholders under a squeeze-out procedure and increased its stake to 100%. The buyback price amounted to UAH 34.24.
Ferrexpo Plc, which owns 100% of Ferrexpo AG, which in turn owns 100% of Poltava GOK and 100% of Yeristovo GOK, is traded on the London Stock Exchange (LSE).
Since the beginning of July this year, the price of Ferrexpo shares on the LSE fell by almost 2.1 times, to GBP1.354 per share, which is the lowest level since January 2017.
