EkoNiva and Rosselkhozbank have launched a new feed mill in Penkovo village, Maslyanino district, Novosibirsk oblast. The investment in the project totalled 429 million rubles, with the bank acting as the financial partner.

The infrastructure of the feed mill comprises an 8,000-tonne grain reception, handling and storage line, a crumbled feed line with a capacity of 10 tonnes per hour and a pelleted feed line producing 2 tonnes per hour. The crumbled feed line carries out macro- and micro-dosing, crushing and mixing. The pelleted feed line provides for a possibility of including liquid components into the formulation. There are also raw material bins with a total capacity of 200 tonnes and finished product bins with a volume of 216 tonnes. In addition, a modular gas boiler house was built to generate heat and steam.

The production line of the feed mill is controlled by cutting-edge automation tools, in particular industrial controllers, for the finished fodder to meet the stringent quality standards. The facility also has its own laboratory to check the quality of incoming raw materials and manufactured compound feed.

The estimated capacity of the feed mill is approximately 73,000 tonnes per year. It produces up to 10 tonnes of compound feed for milking cows or 2 tonnes of pelleted feed for young stock per hour, all intended for covering the needs of EkoNiva’s Siberian subdivision. When the facility reaches its full capacity, it will create 28 jobs.

‘Having the necessary amount of high-quality feed and controlling the production processes are essential for boosting cow productivity. Thus, the launch of the feed mill allows us to keep developing our farms in the Siberian region. Our project will also offer the locals plenty of opportunities, including career prospects’, says Sergey Lyakhov, Regional Director of EkoNiva Group in Siberia.

‘The investment financing of the region’s farming sector, and the dairy industry in particular, is one of Rosselkhozbank’s priority areas of activity. Novosibirsk oblast is among the top ten regions in terms of milk production, and EkoNiva Group is one of the leaders. This initiative is the sixth joint investment project successfully implemented in Siberia. The new feed mill will definitely contribute to the further development of the regional economy, provide the villages with new jobs and improve the community’s living standards’, notes Stanislav Tishurov, Director of Rosselkhozbank Novosibirsk Branch.