At the factories of Augusta, a large domestic manufacturer of plant protection products (PPPs), 2023 million liters of products were produced in 45,7, which was 10% higher than in 2022. In the 2023 season, Russian farmers used preparations produced by Augusta on 60 million hectares, that is, on almost every fourth hectare of crop area in the country (calculated for a single treatment), while in 2022 – on 53 million hectares. Last season, the farms of the Management Company "August-Agro" received a harvest of almost half a million tons of crop products. The total sales volume of the August Group at the end of the year amounted to 55 billion rubles. Continuing to invest in the development of agricultural infrastructure, in 2023, August launched three new large-scale projects in the Republic of Tatarstan: the construction of an elevator, a plant for the production of grain bags and polymer film, as well as a robotic dairy complex.
During the year, 5 new drugs were put into production at the Avgust factories: two herbicides, a desiccant, an insecticide, and a growth stimulator for flower crops, intended for use in personal and subsidiary plots.
The company’s factories are “August-Alabuga” in the Republic of Tatarstan, a branch of JSC Firm “August” “Vurnarsky plant of mixed preparations” in the Chuvash Republic, “August-Bel” in the Republic of Belarus and a joint venture “August-Hubei” in China, which produces active ingredients for plant protection products - in 2023 they continued their coordinated work, providing farmers with drugs that help preserve the harvest, both in Russia and abroad. It is worth noting that the demand for August products in non-CIS countries has also increased significantly. Also in 2023, construction of a plant for the production of grain bags and film materials began on the territory of the Alabuga SEZ in Tatarstan. Its launch is planned for 2024. The design capacity of the August-Polymer enterprise is set at 10,5 million kg of products per year.
The Department of Plant Protection for Private Farms of the Avgust company in 2023 sold products almost 20% more in terms of revenue than in 2022 (including sales of household chemicals increased by 49%), having rebranded and provided customer service that included shipment sellers of finished products within 24 hours after ordering. Now at the Augusta plant in Chuvashia, the installation of equipment and engineering systems for a new workshop for the production of drugs for private household plots is being completed. The launch of production is planned next year, which will allow for a multiple increase in the production capacity of granulated products for gardeners and gardeners.
In 2023, GC "August" confirmed its status as one of the significant domestic agricultural producers. The total harvest volume last season reached almost half a million tons of crop products. In the Republic of Tatarstan, where the company's main land assets are concentrated, the August-Agro agricultural holding became the leader in grain collection with a result of 318 thousand tons. In terms of the size of its land bank, Management Company "August-Agro" in 2023 took 19th place among Russian agricultural holdings in the ranking of the consulting company BEFL. The total area of August's land is 275 thousand hectares, including 260 thousand hectares in the Russian Federation. Augusta farms use No-Till no-till farming technology, which allows them to obtain stable yields even in dry weather conditions, and last season it again demonstrated its advantages. Agricultural companies are managed on the basis of digitalization and the principles of precision farming with the introduction of innovative agricultural technologies. In the fall of 2023, its own seed plant with a design capacity of 10 tons per hour was opened in the Tyulyachinsky district of Tatarstan. Here they will produce seeds of winter and spring wheat of high reproduction, as well as peas for Augusta agricultural firms and for sale to third-party farms.
In order to meet the infrastructure needs of large-scale agricultural production, gain the opportunity for effective sales and improve the logistics infrastructure of Tatarstan, August is currently building two modern elevator complexes in the region with a high speed of product shipment. The Sviyazhsk-Zernoprodukt elevator in the Zelenodolsk region with a simultaneous storage capacity of 112 thousand tons of grain and the ability to ship to rail, road, and water transport is being prepared for full launch in 2024. The foundation stone of the second elevator in the Bugulminsky district was laid in the summer of 2023, its simultaneous storage capacity will be 100 thousand tons of grain, it is expected that its phased launch will be carried out in 2024–2025. The commissioning of both complexes will provide the ability to accept and ship up to a million tons of agricultural products per year, produced not only by Augusta farms, but also by other farmers of the republic.
“August” also successfully develops dairy farming in Tatarstan. In 2023, the Urazmetyevo robotic dairy complex (MTK) in the Muslyumovsky district received the status of a breeding reproducer. Three more modern dairy complexes are at various stages of construction and launch, including the construction of the largest of them, the Ulyankovo MTC in the Kaybitsky district for 2023 thousand cows, which began in 3,7. The total number of cattle on August-Agro farms is currently 8 thousand heads.
"August" continues to implement investment projects that will directly affect the provision of modern plant protection products to Russian regions and the country as a whole. At the Yeletskaya site of the Lipetsk SEZ, the company is completing the construction of a logistics complex with a design capacity of 26 thousand pallet spaces, which will serve as a distribution and sorting center for plant protection products for enterprises in the agro-industrial sector of the Central Black Earth Region.
“In addition, our plans for 2024 include the start of work of our own research center (SRC), which we are now building and equipping in the Moscow region on the territory of the science city of Chernogolovka,” notes Mikhail Danilov, General Director of JSC Firm “August”. – It will develop technologies for the synthesis of active substances and formulation of drugs, search for new active ingredients and much more. The Research Center will house biological and chemical clusters, a greenhouse complex, and we also expect to subsequently open a field station for testing drugs. Expanding our research activities on its basis, increasing the scale of development of advanced domestic products and using the Research Center as a platform for cooperation with universities will be our contribution to ensuring the country’s food security at a fundamentally new level.”