Russia: Kellner's promised land – and soil
The largest Czech investment firm PPF Group has completed the acquisition of Russian agricultural hold Rav Agro-Pro, which disposes of huge tracts of arable land in the fertile Chernozem (“Black Earth”) region in the southwest of European Russia. PPF says the investment is at least mid-term and doesn’t rule out a possible IPO. While the country’s agricultural sector has huge growth potential, powerful allies in the government are also key to success. PPF owner Petr Kellner has been cultivating such ties since the first wave of privatization in the early 1990s.
PPF confirmed to Czech Position that Dutch-registered Bavella BV (in which the PPF Group has an 80-percent stake and UK-registered investment firm PR Capital Group has 20 percent), purchased 100 percent of Rav Agro-Pro shares from Kemp Commerce Ltd., a company registered in the British Virgin Islands. But PPF declined to disclose the value of the deal or who represented Kemp Commerce Ltd. in the negotiations and Rav Agro-Pro is also keeping details of its holdings quiet.
that as chairman of the board Chvatál represented one of the company’s private shareholders — with no connection to PPF.Rav Agro-Pro was established in 2005, shortly after land reforms in Russia enabled foreign subjects to purchase agricultural land. In July 2008, when the company announced plans for an IPO, which did not take place, Reuters reported that the owner of 99.67 percent of the company’s shares was Russian Agricultural Ventures, the ownership structure of which is as follows:
RP Capital (31.4 percent) Colglide Ltd.— controlled by Israeli grain trading company Rodemco, owned by Roni Yitzhaki (31.4 percent) Lite Venture Holding Ltd. (16.1 percent) Kosmoxan Investments Limited, owned equally by Igor Khaifits and Gadi Bittan, who in 2010 at least was Rav Agro-Pro’s managing director (11.1 percent) Black River Commodity Investment Partners — one of the funds of Black River Asset Management, a group of funds belonging to US giant Cargill (6 percent)Ladislav Chvatál, who has worked for PPF for 17 years, was appointed to the Rav Agro-Pro board in 2009. “His task was obviously to buy up the fragmented shareholdings in the company,” the Czech daily Hospod (HN) concluded. Despite PPF’s claim that Chvatál represented the interests of a private shareholder not connected to PPF, it is logical to conclude that upon his appointment an entity controlled by the PPF Group — or Petr Kellner personally — had already acquired a significant stake in Rav Agro-Pro.
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The firm's assets also include a pig farm with 3700 heads and large dairy and cattle farm. “The goal is to create vertically integrated agricultural business; however, livestock is to be a main focus,” PPF Group spokesman, Alexei Bechtin,
Cornucopia's formal complaint, concerning illegal conventional cattle being transferred to the giant Aurora Dairy complex in Platteville, Colorado, eventually led to the downfall of Promisedland (USDA investigators eventually found Aurora had
His first job in the Promised Land was as a hired hand for a farm family named Taft. My father was born on Columbus Day 1900, and his dad took him to see a man named Roosevelt speak — and I do mean 'Teddy'! Twenty years later my dad took my mother and
Now, she says, the well pad near her home now looks like an industrial site, and she can no longer use the main pasture where her dairy cattle once grazed. Her water also became contaminated with methane since the drilling began.
Now babies are already lost in cyber-land playing video games, texting and watching limitless videos. Many schools have done in mandatory PE, and we blame them getting fat from chocolate milk! Parents and teachers need to take the kids phones away and
foodconsumer.org - CORNUCOPIA: The USDA's Regulatory Hammer ...
It is sinful that this operation has, literally, been able to operate for years while going through this appeals process. Organic farmers do need the right to due process, to assure that overzealous regulators do not strip them of their livelihoods, but these delays have been excessive and not only have fueled the buildup of a number of factory farms, allegedly including the 9000-head Natural Prairie operation in Texas, but these improprieties could've also defrauded many organic consumers along the way. "We are pleased about the outcome, not only on behalf of the agency but for organic consumers as well," said AMS Acting Administrator David Shipman. "We've remained committed to the principle of organic integrity so that consumers can continue to trust the USDA organic label, and our diligence in this long battle has paid off. The organic standards are rigorous; all certified operations are expected to adhere to them." On Oct. 25, 2010, the USDA announced a judicial officer ruling to uphold the suspension of Promiseland's organic certification. The decision by the judicial officer followed a series of hearings between Promiseland and the Agricultural Marketing Service of the USDA, during which the Nebraska-based company appealed their suspension and eventually filed a federal lawsuit to halt the suspension of its organic certification. On Dec. 2, 2010, Promiseland filed a motion requesting a stay of the decision and order on the grounds that the company was preparing an appeal of the decision in U.S. District Court. The company eventually withdrew the motion late last month. Concurrently, last week's unopposed motion to lift the stay effectuates the suspension of Promiseland's organic certification for violating the Organic Foods Production Act and the governing organic regulations. During the five-year suspension, Promiseland Livestock is prohibited from representing their products as organic.
Promised Land Dairy - Bookshelf
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