"Gifts of Nature", "Roscar" and "Prinevskoye" will invest 8 billion rubles in increasing production

According to the report, Gifts of Nature has signed an agreement on the construction of the second stage of a greenhouse complex for growing tomatoes. Its area will be 11.5 hectares, the production volume will be 3.2 thousand tons per year. The cost of the project is 4.9 billion rubles. Roskar Poultry Farm signed an agreement on the modernization of the poultry complex, which will increase egg production by 300 million eggs per year. The amount of the agreement is 2.5 billion rubles. Breeding plant "Prinevskoye" intends to invest 680 million rubles. in the creation of a grain drying complex for 13 thousand tons of grain per year.

 Oleg Malashchenko, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Leningrad Region , Chairman of the Committee for Agro-Industrial and Fisheries Complex, noted that the region is interested in strengthening cooperation with investors and supports the expansion of agricultural production.

Natalia Davydenko, HEAD of the Plant Growing Department at Interagro, said that the project to build a complex for growing tomatoes has good prospects. “Provision with tomatoes of our own production during the off-season is still insufficient. The project is modern, of course, its products will be in demand,” says Davydenko. She adds that a modern automated greenhouse will allow growing a high quality product.

The investor's problem is increasing competition in the market, she continues. “If the right marketing strategy is developed, and the quality of the products meets the needs of consumers, then there should not be any special problems with the implementation, as well as with the supply of technological equipment,” Davydenko argues. “The market is adapting to economic realities, there are domestic equipment manufacturers, experience has been gained in the production of such systems.”

Today, according to the Greenhouses of RUSSIA Association, the loan repayment period for greenhouse projects has been extended to 12 years. Davydenko believes that the project will pay off for a long time. “If the state decides that the tariffs for electricity and energy carriers for agricultural producers, and especially for greenhouse complexes, will be reduced, then the payback period can be significantly reduced. We tend to think that the decision will be positive,” she said. According to her, more than 40% of the cost structure is heating and maintaining the microclimate.

Elena Varlamova, an expert at the NEO consulting company, says that all the announced projects have prospects, since they are associated with the agro-industrial complex sector, which consistently demonstrates demand for products both in the domestic and foreign markets. “Historically, the egg market in Russia shows a consistently high level of consumption within the country, but due to exports, the industry shows an increase in production year on year,” the expert said. “ Egg exports from Russia have doubled since 2012 , and this trend will continue.” Against this background, it is necessary to increase the capacity of existing enterprises and open new ones for uniform egg production in different regions, Varlamova believes. 

Elizaveta Utkina, junior DIRECTOR for corporate ratings at Expert RA, believes that investment projects to increase output and modernize capacities are critical in the agro-industrial complex, their implementation supports food security. “The announced projects are aimed at increasing supply, which, if the planned goals are achieved, will have a positive impact on price dynamics. In terms of food inflation, this can be assessed as a positive factor,” she said.

During periods of macroeconomic shocks, companies often cut or eliminate capex programs, she said. This is necessary to save money, but in the long term it has a negative impact both on the development of companies and on the state of the economy as a whole. The possibility of obtaining state support for representatives of the industry, not only as part of concessional lending to operating activities, but also in the implementation of investment projects, plays an important role in the development of the agro-industrial complex, Utkina is sure.