EkoNiva production facility in Shchuchye village certified for export to Eurasian Economic Union
7 June 2023 News from the Company
A production facility of EkoNiva Group, the largest Russian dairy holding, has been certified for export to the Customs Union countries: Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Now the Group is allowed to deliver EkoNiva branded sour cream, curds and cheese made at the plant in Shuchye village, Voronezh oblast to these countries.
The certification procedure was completed in May this year. The specialists of the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision audited the documentation, production and steps and processes. The export certificate subsequently granted confirms that EkoNiva production facility in Shchuchye village complies with high quality standards and warrants its product safety.
EkoNiva already delivers UHT milk, cream and butter to certain Customs Union country-members: Kazakhstan, Armenia and Belarus. The goods have been shipped from Anna dairy plant earlier certified by the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision. The certification of the facility in Shchuchye village enables the company to extend the range of natural dairy supplied to foreign consumers.
At this point, the company is preparing deliveries of hard and semi-hard cheeses to Kazakhstan and Armenia. The plan is afoot to start exporting hard cheese to Kyrgyzstan and Belarus.
"We believe export to be one of the growth drivers for the entire dairy industry. Developing sales to the Customs Union countries is an important goal for the Group especially considering the fluctuating demand in the domestic market. Due to the certification of Shchuchye facility, more EkoNiva products will become available to foreign consumers, which will increase the brand awareness and strengthen our position in overseas market", said Denis Ishmayev, Sales Director of EkoNiva-Food (EkoNiva Group).
EkoNiva started developing its export business in 2020. Apart from Kazakhstan, Armenia and Belarus, the company have supplied its dairy products to China and Uzbekistan and is exploring the opportunities of entering the South-East Asia and Middle East markets. Besides, EkoNiva successfully exports crop products, such as pulses and seeds. Thus, in 2022, the Group was ranked among the largest exporters of red lentils in Russia shipping over 10,400 t to the international partners.
About Ekosem-Agrar
Ekosem-Agrar AG, Walldorf, is the German holding company of the Ekoniva Group, one of the largest Russian agricultural companies. A herd of more than 233,000 cattle (thereof over 112,000 dairy cows) and a daily milk output of close to 3,400 tons of raw milk make the company the largest milk producer in the country. The Group controls an agricultural land area of approx. 630,000 hectares and is also one of the leading Russian seed producers. The founder and CEO of the company is Stefan Dürr, who has been active in the Russian agricultural sector since the end of the 1980s and has been instrumental in modernizing the industry in the past three decades. In 2009, he was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in recognition of his contributions to the German-Russian Dialogue on Agriculture. The Group employs some 13,500 people and has a presence in nine administrative areas in Russia. Ekosem-Agrar generated a total output of EUR 616 million and EBITDA of EUR 190 million in 2020.