EkoNiva Group has demonstrated cutting-edge solutions for livestock farming at Agros 2024. During three days of the trade show at the Crocus Expo International Exhibition Centre, the company's booth hosted plenty of business meetings. Current and potential partners were offered highly productive dairy cattle, a wide range of field crop seeds, agricultural machinery and spare parts.

Agros is one of the key events in the farming sector. This year, about 700 manufacturers and suppliers have presented their innovative products at the trade show. Guided by its basic principle – ‘from field to shop shelf’ – EkoNiva Group developed an end-to-end solution for the agricultural industry professionals comprising pedigree cattle, seeds, agritechnologies, high-performance machinery, consulting and maintenance.

‘Farmers opt for EkoNiva because what we offer is not just a product or service – it is a comprehensive solution including all the required consulting and support. Above all, the best seeds from leading plant breeders, excellent pedigree cattle genetics and reliable machines allow any enterprise to make the most of the production’, emphasises Yevgeniy Kucheryavenko, Executive Director of EkoNiva-Semena.

The company's seeds are currently grown in the fields of farms and large agricultural holdings in 72 regions of the country, as well as in Belarus and Central Asia. EkoNiva's portfolio comprises over seven dozen high-yielding varieties of field crops, some of which are in-house bred.

One of the newest and most fast-moving areas of the holding’s activity is pedigree cattle breeding. Over the past few years, the demand for the company's heifers has risen by several times. The sales geography keeps expanding – the animals have already been rated very highly by industry leaders in the Central, Southern, Volga and Siberian Federal Districts. Last year alone, the Group supplied over 14,000 head of cattle to Russian farmers.

‘The company's dairy herd is popular due to its enormous genetic potential. We use the best imported sire semen, so the genetic potential of our cows meets the world’s highest standards. At the same time, they are well adapted to the country’s climate and housing on commercial farms. In 2024, plans are afoot to sell about 20,000 animals. Besides, we are thinking about starting exports to the countries of the Customs Union in the long run’, says Viktor Voronin, Cattle Sales Division Manager at EkoNiva-APK Holding.

During the trade show, the company’s specialists had a number of business meetings and reached agreements on the supply of more than 5,000 head of cattle.

Farm manager Natalya Zubareva from Shushenskoye district, Krasnoyarsk area, travelled about 4,000 kilometres to take part in Agros 2024 and hurried to the partner's booth right away.

‘Since the foundation of our farm, which is over six years, we have been closely cooperating with EkoNiva, purchasing high-quality seeds and always getting bumper crops. Last year, we bought 300 heifers from the company for the first time. The results impressed us: 85% of heifer calves instead of 75% stated in the terms of reference. The average milk yield in the herd is also pretty good – 31 litres. We are set to enhance our cooperation – 500 more heifers from EkoNiva are expected to arrive at our farm soon, and a second contract for 500 head is scheduled for this year’, says Natalya.

At the trade show, EkoNiva-Tekhnika’s representatives held meetings with clients, providing them with advice on the purchase of new and time-tested farm machines. Recent years have seen great progress in introducing technical solutions for maximising profitability in livestock farming. The company keeps up with the time and supplies quality machinery for every segment of the farming sector. The focus is on import substitution and finding partners from the countries that are committed to cooperating with Russia.

‘Today, we place a premium on popularising the Chinese brand LOVOL among our clients, offering them 85 to 260 hp tractors and combine harvesters. These are reliable machines which are easy to operate and maintain. We also count on telescopic handlers manufactured by SANY, China, and MST, Turkey. They are designed for tackling various tasks in different operating conditions. A full range of foreign and Russian trailed equipment is available as well’, says Sergey Skrobkin, Central Region Sales Department Manager, EkoNiva-Tekhnika.

Chinese agricultural equipment is currently stealing the limelight. The manufacturers are striving to dispel some common stereotypes about their machines. Today, they are carefully assembled and fitted with reliable engines. Besides, there are no signs of corrosion on the units and paintwork, and the welds are as good as those on premium foreign farm machines.

‘Last year, we supplied about 150 LOVOL vehicles to our clients. The blueprint for 2024 is to double the sales. It is the number one brand in China and is gradually winning the hearts of Russian farmers. Teams of engineers and designers are constantly improving the products, taking into account customer preferences. In the months to come, we are expecting a novelty in Russia – a 340 hp tractor’, says Vladimir Gurov, LOVOL Brand Manager at EkoNiva-Tekhnika.

The main advantage of Chinese manufacturers is that they can carry out the necessary servicing of their machinery and support dealers in Russia. The equipment from the Celestial Empire is distinguished by simple design, reliability, maintainability and good value for money. For instance, the 130 hp LOVOL tractor has already proved its worth at Pungino farming enterprise in Verkhoshizhemye district, Kirov oblast.

‘Reliable and high-performance machines are a big help to any farmer, but they also require proper and timely maintenance. EkoNiva provides the best servicing, always having spare parts and consumables in stock. We have been working with the company for a long time and are going to further boost this cooperation’, notes director Aleksandr Antoshchenko.

Indeed, first-rate service is EkoNiva’s top priority. Besides, the dealer offers its clients special prices in the run-up to the new farming season.

Agros 2024 was marked by a great number of interesting meetings and contracts and agreements concluded. By tradition, to create a cheerful mood, there was a tasting of EkoNiva’s natural dairy made from milk produced on the Group's own farms.