Ukraine's Astarta increases revenue from sales 6.8% in Q1
MOSCOW. April 27 (Interfax) - The Astarta agro-industrial holding, the largest sugar producer in Ukraine, increased its revenue from sales of key products 6.8% in the first quarter compared to the same period last year to UAH 6.43 billion, covering declines in prices for most products with increased sales volumes.
Sugar sales increased 36.8% in Q1 of this year to 69,520 tonnes, while the average selling price decreased 5.6% to UAH 24,780 per tonne, Ukrainian media reported, citing the holding's announcement on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
Sales of wheat increased 96.7% to 80,330 tonnes and rapeseed sales rose sixfold to 18,860 tonnes, while the price of wheat increased 22.6% to UAH 8,510 per tonne, and rapeseed decreased 19% to UAH 17,630 per tonne.
Milk sales rose 6.2% to 30,590 tonnes, having increased in price 21.8% to UAH 16,740 per tonne.
Astarta also increased sales of soybean oil 33.4% to 13,550 tonnes and soybean meal 3.6% to 42,790 tonnes, which barely compensated for the 23.9% decline in oil prices to UAH 29,990, and the 3% drop in meal prices to UAH 18,470 per tonne.
The only item where there were decreases in both sales and price in Q1 was sunflower seeds: sales decreased 38.8% to 19,360 tonnes, while the price dropped 17.6% to UAH 13,100 per tonne.
Sugar sales in Q1 in monetary terms increased 29.2% to UAH 1.7228 billion; milk rose 29.4% to UAH 512 million; wheat increased 2.4-fold to UAH 683.7 million; rapeseed increased fivefold to UAH 332.4 million; soybean oil increased 1.5% to UAH 406.3 million, and soybean meal rose 0.5% to UAH 790.3 million, the WSE announcement said.
Meanwhile, sales of corn decreased 23.3% to UAH 1.7275 billion and sunflower seeds fell 49.6% to UAH 253.7 million.
Astarta is a vertically integrated agro-industrial holding consisting of sugar factories, agricultural farms with a land bank of 220,000 hectares, dairy farms, an oil extraction plant, elevators, and a biogas complex.
The official exchange rate as of April 26 is 39.67 UAH/$1.