Ukraine's Astarta agroholding has begun harvesting early grain crops

MOSCOW. June 26 (Interfax) - Astarta, Ukraine's largest producer of sugar, has launched its harvesting campaign, during which the agroholding plans to harvest early grain crops from 61,000 hectares, including winter wheat from 49,000 hectares, Ukrainian media reported, citing the group's press service on social networks.

"We have started threshing rapeseed today. Work has started in the Poltava Region. These are very early dates, well ahead of the average multiyear calendar indicators, though these are the forecast harvesting dates. We also plan to start harvesting wheat at the end of the week. Enterprises in the western region plan to start harvesting no earlier than July 7-9," Roman Pavlik, head of Astarta's crop production department, was quoted as saying in the statement.

The press service said that Astarta's farmers have completed harvesting winter peas from 599 hectares, which is a new crop for the holding with very early harvesting dates.

Astarta is a vertically integrated agro-industrial holding, which includes sugar factories, agricultural farms with a land bank of 220,000 hectares, dairy farms, an oil extraction plant, elevators, and a biogas complex.

Astarta's principal shareholders are the family of founder and CEO Viktor Ivanchik with a 40.68% stake, and Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. with a 29.91% stake.