Agroeco has shipped its first consignment of pork from its Voronezh Region processing plant to Serbia. Several containers included ham and shoulder cuts. Serbia became the group’s third new export destination in 2024, following the start of deliveries to India earlier in December. Agroeco began exporting in 2020, initially supplying Georgia, Armenia and Belarus. The company confirmed the Serbian shipment on 13th December 2024.
More processed and packaged products
The Voronezh plant processed 197,000 tonnes in live weight during January–October 2024, an increase of 15% from the corresponding period of 2023. Finished-product output reached 163,000 tonnes, nearly 10% higher year on year. Live-weight processing and finished-product tonnage measure different stages of production. Agroeco is increasing processing depth and the share sold in consumer and industrial packaging. The plant continued gradually approaching its design capacity during the reporting period.
Carcass halves accounted for 67% of products sold in 2023. In 2024, packaged pork together with offal represented 60% of sales. Those percentages describe different product groupings. Plant director Yevgeny Kiyatkin identified improved production processes, a wider range of ready-to-cook recipes and new packaging solutions as parts of the company’s development strategy. He described customers ranging from large meat processors to retail consumers.
Processing capacity in the Pavlovsky district
Agroeco officially opened the processing complex in the Pavlovsky district of Voronezh Region on 26th May 2023. The facility was designed to process 3.8 million animals and dispatch more than 300,000 tonnes of products annually. Almost 1,400 people worked there at the opening; the workforce target at full capacity was 3,500. These were the employment figures and operating targets announced at that stage of the project.
The complex incorporated automated conveyor lines and robotic equipment. Its production-management infrastructure included links with state veterinary information systems and computer-vision tools for monitoring production and sanitary conditions. The range announced at the opening comprised up to 300 products, including:
- Pork carcass halves.
- Meat in industrial packaging.
- Meat in consumer packaging.
Earlier export volumes
Agroeco exported more than 11,000 tonnes of processing-plant products and live animals in the first half of 2024. Almost 5,000 tonnes consisted of plant products, including carcass halves, large cuts and offal. Belarus and Georgia were the principal destinations for those earlier shipments. Chairman Vladimir Maslov identified international exhibitions, business missions and discussions with foreign pork importers as parts of the company’s export development work. His July plans included strengthening existing nearby markets and opening additional destinations in Southeast Asia and Africa.
The processing plant’s technical launch took place in September 2021, with project investment estimated at 15.1 billion rubles. Agroeco planned to increase finished-product output by 42% to 205,000 tonnes in 2024. Founded in Voronezh in 2009, the group operates production sites in the Voronezh and Tula regions. The new Serbian delivery adds another destination for its pork products.
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