Ukraine's Astarta invests over $21 mln in renovating agricultural machinery in 2025

MOSCOW. March 24 (Interfax) - The Astarta agro-industrial holding, the largest sugar producer in Ukraine, plans to invest over $21 million in renovating agricultural machinery in 2025, Ukrainian media said, citing a statement by the holding press service.

As reported, 150 units of new equipment have been contracted, in particular heavy tractors, sprayers, self-propelled sugar beet harvesters, seeding complexes, precision seeders, and tillage units. Some of the equipment has been delivered to the holding's production facilities and will be actively used in spring sowing. This will improve the efficiency of agricultural production, optimize soil cultivation and harvesting, as well as preserve soil health.

According to Crop Production, Logistics and Mechanization Department Director Andrei Zagorulko, the holding increased the area with no-till mulch green manure retention in 2024. It also expanded differentiated and local application of mineral fertilizers, which provides for their optimal use. In addition, local application of fertilizers alongside basic soil cultivation significantly reduces fuel consumption due to fewer technological operations.

Astarta is a vertically integrated agro-industrial holding operating in eight regions of Ukraine. It includes six sugar factories, agricultural enterprises with a land bank of 220,000 hectares and dairy farms with 22,000 heads of cattle, an oil extraction plant in Globino (Poltava region), seven elevators and a biogas complex.

In 2023, the agricultural holding reduced its net profit by 5.0% to 61.9 million euros, and its EBITDA decreased by 6.1% to 145.77 million euros with revenue growth of 21.3% to 618.93 million eur0s.