Anstella Biotech

History

2024: AFG National bought Anstella-Biotech

On July 19, 2024, it became known about a major deal in the agro-industrial sector of Russia. Agroholding AFG National, one of the leading producers of rice and packaged cereals in the country, acquired a 49% stake in Anstella-Biotech, a large distributor of amino acids from Belarus.

According to Kommersant, Ivan Yuzefovich, who has owned AFG National since November 2022, has become the owner of a stake in Anstella-Biotech LLC. The remaining 51% of the company since May 2024 is owned by Lev Dengov. Prior to that, 100% of Anstella-Biotech's shares belonged to Dengov's wife, singer Ketevan Guzband-Topuria.

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Anstella-Biotech specializes in the sale in Russia of animal feed and amino acids produced by the Belarusian National Biotechnology Corporation (BNBC).

According to investment banker Ilya Shumov, the cost of 100% shares in Anstella-Biotech LLC is at least ₽500 million. However, if the BNBC contract is exclusive, the transaction price could be significantly higher.

President of the National Meat Association Sergey Yushin notes the importance of amino acids for the production of all types of feed. According to him, Russia imports up to 100% of the volume for individual amino acid positions, and their production is expensive.

According to the analytical agency Feedlot, in 2023, imports of feed amino acids to Russia amounted to 123 thousand tons, which is 21% less than in 2022. The share of Belarus in the supply structure increased from 4% to 16%, while 80% of imports accounted for China.

Experts believe that the acquisition of a distributor of feed and additives can provide synergy between AFG National and the recently acquired beef producer Zarechnoye. Elena Varlamova, director of the business and asset assessment department of the NEO consulting company, emphasizes that the emergence of related areas in the holding's structure allows hedging risks and increasing business profitability by creating a full production cycle.^[1]

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