The Board of Directors of the Astarta agroindustrial holding, the largest sugar producer in Ukraine, approved the decision to begin construction of an oilseed processing plant, in particular soybeans and rapeseed, in Khmelnytsky region, in which it will invest $76 million, the agroholding's press service said on Facebook.

According to the statement, the planned capacity will be 400,000 tonnes per year. Commissioning is scheduled for 2026.

Astarta continues to strengthen its positions in the processing sector by investing in new production facilities. The growing demand for soybean products in the EU opens up new opportunities, and we are ready to implement them, using our experience and expertise. The new oilseed processing plant will allow us to expand the line of ingredients for the feed base," Director of Commercial Activities and Strategic Marketing of Astarta Viacheslav Chuk said.

The agroholding said the project involves the effective use of the existing infrastructure of the agroindustrial holding, it will contribute to the development of the agroindustrial ecosystem in the Western region.

"The Astarta team is already actively working on its implementation. Just today, we completed the process of agreeing on a contract with the manufacturer of equipment and extraction technology. We are waiting for the decision of Narkevych territorial community on allocating land plots for the project. According to our experts, this project meets the requirements of the law On state support for investment projects with significant investments in Ukraine, so we intend to apply for participation in the program, in particular, to accelerate its implementation," Chuk said.