GC "August" begins construction of a plant for the production of grain bags and film materials on the territory of the SEZ "Alabuga" in the Republic of Tatarstan. The volume of investment in the project will be 1,5 billion rubles. The management of the new business and its development will be managed by August's subsidiary, August-Polymer LLC. The plant is planned to be launched in 2024. The design capacity of the enterprise is set at 10,5 million tons of products per year. The plant will produce four types of products: grain bags, film for industrial greenhouses, silage film and industrial shrink film. The average productivity for four groups of goods is planned to be about 1,4 tons per hour.
GC "August" is a leading domestic manufacturer of chemical plant protection products and is among the TOP 20 largest Russian landowners according to BEFL thanks to the development of its own agricultural direction - “Agroproekt”. The technology of storing grain in sleeves is successfully used by August in its crop farms.
The plant will be built on a land plot allocated in the Alabuga SEZ with an area of 60,1 thousand square meters. meters, the area of its production premises and administrative building will total about 11 thousand square meters. meters. The technological equipment of the enterprise will include a five-layer extrusion blow molding line, compressor equipment, as well as a folding machine for folding manufactured products. When the plant is launched, it is planned to create up to 100 new jobs.
“The demand for polymer materials among Russian farmers is increasing. This is a consequence of both the extensive development of the agro-industrial complex, which implies an increase in acreage and the development of such areas as the cultivation of vegetables, berries, green crops, and intensive, which means the growth of crops on existing agricultural lands, which obviously needs to be stored somewhere - says General Director of JSC Firm "August" Mikhail Danilov. – At the moment, China is the key supplier of film materials for farmers, and Spain and Israel are leaders in the segment of grain storage bags, but domestic investors are also showing interest in introducing such products into production. In Tatarstan, a key region for our Agroproject, we were the first to start storing grain in plastic bags. This technology allowed us to cope with the situation when the volume of the harvest is such that the farm simply does not have time to dry it or transport it to the elevator. Equipment for filling sleeves is relatively inexpensive, but it makes it possible to unload grain without haste, clean it and sell it at a favorable price environment. We have been able to safely store agricultural products in bags for more than a year, and we also know of successful experience lasting about two years.”
The technology for storing grain in flexible polymer sleeves is based on the principle of hermetic storage: this is the elimination of oxygen in the sleeve to decontaminate insects, pests and fungi. Preventing air from entering the sleeve ensures the safety of the grain throughout the entire storage period. The technology is gaining popularity because its use reduces the need to invest in the construction of expensive grain storage facilities, and it also allows one to avoid forced stops in the harvesting campaign due to a shortage of temporary grain storage capacity or means of transporting it.
To store grain in bags, a large, flat space is required (usually the surface of a harvested field is suitable). Special equipment is used for loading and unloading grain: grain packaging and grain unloading machines, as well as reloading bins. The grain packaging machine, using the tractor's power take-off shaft, loads the grain into a corrugated sleeve. The grain unloading machine, in turn, cuts the sleeve and, through screw conveyors, delivers the grain to the reloading hopper.
Mikhail Danilov notes that when stored in bags, the resulting grain is of higher quality due to post-harvest ripening. The technology allows you to save on elevator services, the price of which can reach up to 35% of the cost of agricultural products when sold. In addition, the sleeves help to avoid the risks of impersonal storage, when grain from different suppliers is mixed together at elevators, which can lead to underestimation of its quality. Sleeved grain can also be presented to banks or insurance company appraisers as collateral for a loan.
August-Polymer LLC will be focused on producing high-strength film materials with a five-layer structure, the service life of which exceeds one season (in the case of film for industrial greenhouses, it can reach four years or more). In their production, various innovative additives will be used to increase strength, light scattering, protection from UV radiation and temperature changes. A further prospect for the development of the enterprise after its launch will be the production of seven-layer film products, the need for which is also becoming a trend in the agro-industrial complex.
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