Black Earth Farming is a leading farming company operating in Russia.
It acquires, owns and cultivates agricultural land primarily in the fertile Black Earth region in southwest Russia. The company has gained a strong market position in the Kursk, Tambov, Lipetsk, Samara, Voronezh and Ryazan areas, controlling about 325,000 hectares of which about 69,000 hectares are under full ownership. Black Earth Farming will continue to acquire farmland in order to draw full benefits of economies of scale in its operations.
In 2008, Black Earth Farming harvested approximately 142,000 hectares with crops, and during 2009 the intention is to harvest over 181,000 hectares.
An initial public offering of the company was made in December 2007. The shares are listed on the First North Exchange in Sweden. Kinnevik holds 20,9% of the equity and the votes in the company.