EkoNiva Group, the largest Russian dairy holding, has published its operating results over January-September 2023 covering its core business segments: dairy farming, milk processing and crop production.

Dairy farming

In January-September 2023, EkoNiva produced approx. 936,200 tonnes of raw milk, a growth of over 48,200 tonnes or 5% as compared to the same period last year (January-September 2022: 888,000 tonnes). The average raw milk output in the reporting period amounted to 3,429 tonnes per day against 3,252 tonnes in the previous year (+5%). The daily milk yield per cow reached 30.5 kg against 29.4 kg over the same reporting period in 2022. The Group continues improving the dairy herd’s milk productivity and refining the rations.

Over 9 months 2023, the total herd averaged at 234,900 head of cattle, including 112,400 dairy cows (January-September 2022: over 221,400 head of cattle, including 110,700 dairy cows).

Milk processing

Over Q1-Q3 2023, EkoNiva’s processing facilities produced almost 199,800 tonnes of finished dairy produce, up on the same period last year by 77% (January-September 2022: 112,800 tonnes). Production of fresh milk and traditional dairy products (cream, kefir, sour cream, curds, butter, etc.) grew by 74% to 189,400 tonnes, while the volumes of yoghurt and dessert products (including ice-cream) increased by 59% to 4,600 tonnes. Cheese production increased almost 7-fold to 5,800 tonnes.

The EKONIVA product portfolio currently comprises 94 SKUs. The total number of sales outlets selling the dairy products under the company’s brand both in Russia and abroad now stands at 56,400. The Group operates over 70 own retail shops in 14 regions of Russia.

Crop production

The harvest season is still ongoing in the subdivisions of EkoNiva Group. Overall, EkoNiva has allocated around 250,000 ha for cash crops in 2023 (2022: 270,000 ha). Besides, fodder preparation is underway at EkoNiva. The area under forage crops in 2023 amounted to approx. 190,000 ha (2022: 176,000 ha). The gross yield across the Group’s subdivisions is expected to exceed 2.16 million tonnes in standard weight, including feedstuffs on a dry matter basis less straw (2022: 2 million tonnes).

In August 2023, the sowing season of the 2024 winter crops started. As of the end of the reporting period, approx. 67,800 ha out of the planned 69 000 ha (2022: over 60,000 ha) has been sown.