Large Ukrainian agroholdings cultivate over 4 m ha of land, UAC says
Kyiv, September 13 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Currently there are over 60 large agricultural holdings in Ukraine, which cultivate more than four million hectares of land, the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club (UAC) has said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine.
According to a study entitled "The largest Ukrainian agricultural companies: efficiency and competitiveness," which was carried out by the UAC, the largest company controls over 300,000 hectares of land, and grain processing by certain enterprises reaches or even exceeds 500,000 tonnes.
The UAC said that after the development of agricultural holdings was halted due to the economic and financial crisis, successful farms resumed increasing their share of the agricultural complex of Ukraine in 2010.
According to the study, currently the shares of 14 Ukrainian agricultural companies are quoted on international stock markets, and their total capitalization as of September 9, 2010 exceeded $6 billion. The share of the top five public companies, among which are Myronivsky Hliboproduct, Kernel, Avangard, Mriya Agroholding and Astarta, totals $5.25 billion.
According to the UAC, at least four Ukrainian companies will enter the international stock exchanges by the end of the year, and the total sum of funds attracted by the companies will be at least UAH 1 billion.
The total area of agricultural land in Ukraine is 32 million hectares, and the grain harvest in 2010 is expected at about 40 million tonnes.