Omsk agricultural complex plans expansion to Perm

The Udarny agricultural complex intends to invest in the reconstruction of the state-owned Perm Pig Farm. The government of the Perm region is studying proposals from two potential partners: the Omsk agricultural holding and the Czech Bauer technics. Omsk residents are ready to rent the most unprofitable part of the pig farm and make it profitable, the Czechs are ready to completely build a new plant. The issue of choosing an investor can be finally resolved in two weeks.

Photo: Vadim Kharlamov/Kommersant, Kommersant

Omsk investors are vying to lease the property of the largest pork producer in the Perm region, the state-owned OJSC Permsky Pig Farm. According to SPARK-Interfax, on September 16, 2014, Interdistrict Inspectorate of the Federal Tax Service of Russia No. 17 for the Perm Territory registered Perm Pig Farm LLC, whose address coincides with the state-owned enterprise of the same name. The registered company was headed by Andrey Orlov, a former member of the board of directors of OJSC Omskshina, and the founders were Omsk-based Synergy Group CJSC and A3 Group LLC. The first company is the owner of companies included in the Omsk agricultural holding "Udarny", the second belongs to the head of the Omsk Union of Students and Youth Artem Artemov. According to Kommersant, the legal entity was registered as part of the ongoing dialogue with the government of the Perm Territory on the reconstruction of the pig farm.

OJSC "Perm Pig Farm" (Maisky village, Krasnokamsky district) is one of the largest pork producers in Russia, founded in 1975. 100% of shares are owned by the Perm region. The main activity is the reproduction, raising and fattening of pigs. The company annually produces 18-22 thousand tons of pork meat in live weight, which is 82% of pork meat in the Perm region. Revenue in 2013 - 1.3 billion rubles. (in 2012 - 1.8 billion rubles), net loss - 132 million rubles. (profit in 2012 - 19 million rubles) The regional authorities received 100% of the shares of the pig farm from the Russian government in 2013. Governor Viktor Basargin instructed the government to find an investor to reconstruct the unprofitable enterprise. Offers were made to the Udmurt Komos Group, as well as to Omsk Bacon.

A Kommersant source close to the negotiations confirmed that Udarny is negotiating the lease of the most unprofitable part of the pig farm - SVK No. 2. “One of the advantages of Udarny is the presence of its own feed production. SVK No. 2 does not have its own feeding base; this problem can be solved using the infrastructure of the Omsk holding. This investor didn’t just fall out of the blue; he has been cooperating with the pig farm for six months now, helping with fattening the young animals,” the source said.

According to Kommersant's information, the option with the Omsk investor has been discussed for more than a month by the board of directors of OJSC Perm Pig Farm. Apparently, the delay is due to a competitive offer that has appeared. As the weekly Business Class reported, two European investors - ADL Unternehmensbeteiligung from Austria and Bauer technics from the Czech Republic expressed their readiness to invest about 200 million euros in the development of the complex. According to Andrey Shagap, a member of the board of directors of the pig farm, this is not about reconstruction, but about the construction of a new enterprise, as well as the creation of an agro-industrial cluster on its basis. Mr. Chibisov confirmed to Kommersant the fact of negotiations with the management of European companies. A member of the board of directors of Bauer technics, Karel Likarzh, told Kommersant that the company has plans in the Perm region. According to Kommersant, the parties are discussing the development of a pig farm on the terms of a public-private partnership.

The head of the Udarny agricultural complex, Sergei Golovachev, confirmed the fact of negotiations with the authorities of the Kama region, but refused to provide details. “It’s too early, the authorities haven’t made a decision,” Mr. Golovachev told Kommersant yesterday. Omsk LLC “Agrocomplex “Udarny”” is part of the group of companies of the same name, which produces meat, milk, and grains. The structure of the agricultural complex includes a pig farm, a dairy farm, a dairy plant, a grain receiving enterprise, and a Kirovsky meat processing plant. The founder of the Udarny agricultural complex is Sergei Golovachev, deputy of the legislative assembly of the Omsk region.

Chairman of the Supervisory Board of OJSC “Permsky Pig Farm” Alexey Chibisov told Kommersant that the issue of choosing an investor can be finally resolved in two weeks.

Experts doubt the possibility of building a new complex. “I don’t quite understand how construction from scratch in the village of Maisky will look technologically. It is easier to build a new complex on another, “clean” site, especially since such a site was already considered at one time. This is a site in the village of Mulyanka, which at one time was interested in the Kungur meat processing plant, and then was actively studied by the Kopitaniya holding,” notes former Minister of Agriculture of the region Alexander Logachev. The official’s proposal from “Udarny” also causes skepticism. “How can you rent a part? Then the technological chain breaks,” Mr. Logachev is surprised.

Director of the Semya grocery chain, Elena Gilyazova, believes that the best option is to transfer the entire complex to the investor. “The question is how realistic this option is. Many people looked closely at this asset, but no one took it seriously. We can say with confidence that we need to find an investor in the near future. The complex generates losses, its condition is critical, from a technology point of view in particular. There are risks of losing the enterprise if it does not go into reconstruction in the near future,” Ms. Gilyazova believes.

Vyacheslav Sukhanov, Svetlana Bykova

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