Cherkizovo Group to Acquire NAPKO
Cherkizovo Group, the largest vertically integrated meat and feed producer in Russia, is acquiring NAPKO, one of Russia’s leading grain producers.
Among other assets, Cherkizovo Group will acquire NAPKO’s agricultural land of 147,000 hectares located in the Lipetsk, Tambov and Penza regions, which are strategically important areas for Cherkizovo Group. In 2016, NAPKO produced 250,000 tons of grain. Following the acquisition, Cherkziovo Group’s total operating land bank will reach 287,000 hectares. As part of the transaction, the Group will also acquire the supporting production infrastructure to cultivate the land and store the grain.
Sergey Mikhailov, chief executive of Cherkizovo Group, comments: “While organic growth remains our priority, this acquisition represents an excellent example of the strategic M&A opportunities we are ready to explore to further strengthen our vertical integration, supply chain and business model generally. By extending our land bank we will increase our self-sufficiency in grain and focus on synergies and efficiencies to reduce our unit production costs. Following this acquisition, we expect to increase our self-sufficiency in grain to 60% in the next few years from 30% at the end of 2016.”
NAPKO has been one of Cherkizovo Group’s most trusted business partners for a number of years, with the group buying approximately 9-11% of its grain from NAPKO each year. NAPKO’s land bank complements Cherkizovo both in terms of geography and the types of crops cultivated, which include wheat, corn, sunflower and peas. All the acquired assets will be integrated into Cherkizovo’s grain farming segment and NAPKO’s existing management team and employees will be retained.
The acquisition will allow Cherkizovo to reduce its exposure to grain market volatility, including possible grain shortages, local currency volatility and changes to grain suppliers’ pricing policies. NAPKO generates positive cash flow and has a relatively moderate level of debt servicing.
Cherkizovo will pay in cash RUB5 billion (€82 million) for NAPKO’s equity and assume NAPKO’s net debt, which stood at RUB751 million as of March 31, 2017. The transaction is expected to be finalized within the next 30 to 60 days.
