EkoNiva Group, Russia's largest dairy producer, and Avgust-Agro holding have signed a long-term cooperation agreement at Agrovolga international agroindustrial trade fair held in Kazan.

The companies went into partnership in the field of pedigree cattle breeding. In addition to supplying heifers to the dairy farms of Avgust-Agro, EkoNiva will share animal research findings with its specialists and offer them advice on livestock management to enhance the herd quality and breeding value. The parties also plan to exchange experience and start working groups to discover new and promising forms of cooperation.

EkoNiva has been providing Avgust-Agro with pedigree cattle since 2022. Over 1,800 Holstein heifers have already joined the milking herd of the agricultural holding, which currently totals 8,000 animals. By the end of 2023, the gross milk yield at the existing facilities amounted to 40,000 tonnes of milk. This year, plans are afoot to launch the second stage of Yaltau commercial dairy for 600 milking cows in Tatarstan, and the commissioning of Ulyankovo commercial dairy for 3,700 head of milking herd is scheduled for 2025. Once the company's dairy production reaches full capacity, its gross milk yield is estimated to be 90,000 tonnes per year.

‘Since 2021, Avgust-Agro has set up three modern dairy farms in Tatarstan housing Holstein pedigree cattle. We have been facing an acute problem of finding a strategic supplier of high-yielding animals – it was crucial for the milk production development. EkoNiva has taken the issue completely off the table by supplying us with high-quality heifers in the required quantity. The performance of the first-lactation cows speaks volumes, averaging 11 tonnes of milk per year’, says Aydar Galyautdinov, Director General of Avgust-Agro Management Company.

‘Cooperation and exchange of ideas are important success factors in business. Today, we have signed an agreement with a neighbouring company – Avgust-Agro holds its capital assets in Tatarstan, and one of EkoNiva's enterprises also operates here. We are positive that our collaboration in pedigree cattle breeding will give a boost to mutually beneficial work in other areas’, says Mikhail Matveyenko, Deputy Director General of EkoNiva-APK Holding.

The Group has been engaged in pedigree cattle breeding since 2006, and most of its farms have corresponding certificates. The enterprises breed Simmental and Holstein cattle, paying attention to such aspects as improving milking qualities of the breed, increasing fertility and calving ease, developing properties in cows that would allow them to better adapt to intensive housing conditions and machine milking on farms. EkoNiva supplies pedigree cattle to large agricultural holdings and enterprises in the Central, Northwestern, Volga, Ural and Siberian Federal Districts of Russia, with the sales in 2023 amounting to about 15,000 head.