In just one year after a large-scale transformation, Agricom Group has not only restored operational stability but also returned to profitability. The company, which suffered significant losses due to the war, has renewed its management team, revised its agricultural strategy, optimized its crop areas and strengthened processing. Agricom Group is currently planning to scale up its business and remains the largest cereal producer in Eastern Europe.
"We were not looking for simple solutions - we were looking for a new quality of management. After everything the company had been through, we needed a complete business renewal. And we have done it: in terms of personnel, strategy, and operations. It's not about survival, it's about a new starting point," emphasizes Anatoliy Shkriblyak, shareholder of Agricom Group.
From ruins to stability
The company's enterprises in Chernihiv region suffered from enemy shelling in 2022, and some of its assets in Luhansk region are still under occupation. However, despite the difficult conditions, the company has maintained its production base, partially restored the destroyed infrastructure and rethought its operational processes.
A key step was the almost complete replacement of the management team and a revision of the crop rotation structure. The company has focused on high-margin crops
Recycling as a point of reference
Processing has played a key role in the transformation. The Dobrodiya Foods plant, which produces flakes, granola and extrusion products, currently accounts for about 20% of the company's total turnover. About 70% of products are exported, and Agricom Group is actively expanding its presence in the markets of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
"Processing is not just added value, it is an independent business with its own risks and opportunities. We are developing this area as an export platform. Ukrainian products have the potential to be not only raw materials but also a ready-made solution for global retailers. This is where I see the future of the agricultural sector," says Shkriblyak.
The company plans to at least double its processing volumes by 2025. Its priorities include entering new markets, including opening representative offices in the EU, and signing contracts with major international retailers.
Strategic horizons
Despite the war, Agricom Group is not abandoning its plans to expand its land bank, which currently amounts to about 14 thousand hectares. The plan is to gradually increase it by another 8-10 thousand hectares without significantly increasing the administrative or technical burden.
"We invest in land because we believe in the future of Ukraine. Land is an asset that has a strategic value over the next 10-20 years. And today is the right time to make such investments," Anatoliy Shkriblyak concludes.
