The Company Mais (Dnipropetrovsk) has commissioned a new innovative seed plant in the village of Zaitseve (Synelnykove district, Dnipropetrovsk region). The grand opening took place on June 12, 2015; the event was attended by the Company’s Ukrainian and foreign partners.
«Dreams really do come true. Thoughts get materialized. You always have to believe in it and move every minute in the same direction. It is important to have initially chosen the right strategic landmark and to go along the course leading to it,» Viktor Borisov, Company Mais Board Chairman, said.
Besides, Borisov also pointed out that, despite of the fact of the seed plants in Ukraine having been actively constructed within the recent years, the newly commissioned plant is actually the first project implemented by a Ukrainian seed company.
«High-quality seeds are a science-based product with intellectual component reaching 80% of its total cost. Usually, foreign companies reinvest the dividends they receive from pedigree seeds’ sale into the development of scientific research in other countries. We, however, invest the entire delta into the national economy,» Viktor Borisov admits.
The investment into the plant’s construction has exceeded UAH100 million, with a third of the investment’s amount having been provided by the German Bank BHF with the EBRD guarantee. The plant’s design capacity is 500,000–1,000.000 seeds (depending on the plant’s operation mode) - what covers 10–20% of the Ukrainian domestic market requirements. The plant has been constructed up to the project of the Danish Westrup, with the German Willy Niklas seed treatment equipment and the Italian MF Tecno srl seeds’ filling and packaging systems having been installed. It is to be admitted, the plant’s operation project implies a flexible technology system. The plant can be operated in a standard full technological cycle, or it can perform three different technological operations simultaneously with the three seed hybrids.
«Each year we strive to improve the technological process of the seeds’ preparation for sowing by updating and modernizing our equipment. Thus, this year we have constructed and commissioned an ultra-modern seed plant fitted with the latest European equipment,» the Company Mais Commercial Director Myckola Melnyk says.
Besides, the Company MAIS also plans to construct two more seed plants in different regions of Ukraine. Now the Company sells seeds on the markets of the neighboring East European countries and is going to develop its export programs further on. The Company’s priority is a purposeful exploration of new promising seed markets for its seed breeding competitive updates to be promoted upon. Thus, new seed plants as an integrated component of the Company’s strategic development plans are to help achieving this goal.
Research and Production Farm Economy Company Mais is a developer of maize basic breeding forms and commercial hybrids as well as producer of wide range of seeds of maize heterotic forms for seed markets of Ukraine and European countries. Company carries out its own maize breeding programs’ development since 1992 and so within over 20 years’ activity period has created its own genetic bank (containing a few thousand breeding samples). Company’s maize lines and hybrids are officially registered and are patent-protected. Company Mais has brought to the Ukrainian and global seeds’ markets about 100 maize hybrids of different maturity groups (FAO 160-FAO 500). Company Mais hybrids are registered in Ukraine, Russian Federation, Belarus and European Union. Company’s production facilities consist of 3 seeds’ plants (situated in Ukrainian central and western regions, provided with modern equipment produced by European and US producers (Petkus, Westrup). Company has its own licensed laboratory to assure seed quality control. Company Mais is a member of the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) and the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA).
