150 likes | 231 Views
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Russian Agricultural Conference Moscow, 21 October 2008 Gilles Mettetal Director Agribusiness Team European Bank for Reconstruction and Development . Agenda. 1. What is EBRD 2. Current Situation in the Agribusiness Sector
E N D
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Russian Agricultural ConferenceMoscow, 21 October 2008Gilles Mettetal Director Agribusiness TeamEuropean Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Agenda 1. What is EBRD 2. Current Situation in the Agribusiness Sector 3. EBRD’s strategy towards the food price crises
EBRD’s cumulative investments amount to more than EUR 35 billion in 2007 Cumulative commitments (billions €) • Regional focus: supports international investors and local companies in 29 countries in Central- and Eastern Europe as well as CIS • Volume: Since its foundation in 1991 more than 1,500 transactions for more than EUR 35 billion cumulative investments • Capital base: EUR 20 billion • Vast product variety: loans, equity participations, guarantees • Risk appetite: Mitigate political risk and promote the private sector Audited December 2007
EBRD in Russia: 7 offices, 100 employees Saint-Petersburg Moscow Yekaterinburg Krasnoyarsk (opened in2008) Vladivostok Samara Rostov (opened in2008) High Market Potential
EBRD and Agribusiness Agribusiness Agribusiness Strategy • The EBRD has invested EUR 4.8 billion in 326 projects in the Agribusiness sector • 2007: 40 projects signed with EUR 517 million committed investments • One of the largest sector teams within the EBRD with 30 bankers London and Resident Offices accounting for around 40% of the projects in the EBRD’s corporate sector portfolio. • Client network of leading global and regional players • Indirect support to smaller farmers and food enterprises via SME credit lines Downstream Upstream • All activities along the food and drink production chain are included and rather focused on increasing demand than supply • Vertical approach addresses specific risks and features attached to agribusiness ventures • Downstream investments are mainly in vertical integrated companies with positive spill-over effects to primary agriculture • As a result, EBRD has a conservative approach towards direct land investments Agricultural inputs& production Primary & secondary processing Retail &Food Service Packaging & distribution
Consumer Distribution Foodservice Packaging Production Food Processors Primary Processing Production Agricultural Inputs Important to maximise supply potential and identify bottlenecks along the entire food value chain Investments along the value chain Food retailers Distributors Caterers Wholesale Markets Edible oil Millers Malters Grain Handling Grains Oilseeds Livestock Dairy Fish Glass Bottles/Jars PET Bottles Cans Carton Containers Seeds Farm Machinery Agricultural Chemicals Bio-tech Distributors/Services Meats/Poultry Baked Goods Confectionery/Snacks Beverages/Beer/Water Dairy/UHT/Cheeses Frozen Foods Fish Pet Food
EBRD’s investments in the beer sector illustrate its vertical approach along the entire food chain Case study: beer sector Local farmers Russian consumer Malt sector Breweries Packaging Retail • USD 16m loan in 2007 to Agro Rus (Soufflet’s subsidiary in Russia) • Efes, a leading Turkish brewery: Loans of ca. USD 50m and equity of USD 6m • Vena (Baltic Beverages Holding - BBH): EUR 82 m syndicated loan • Sisecam (a worldwide leading glass-packaging firm): syndicated loans of over USD 168m between 2004-2007 to • Lenta, one of the fastest growing food retail chains in Russia: USD 125m equity and USD 30m loan • Globus, a German food retailer: EUR 135m syndicated loan in Russia Benefits through higher product quality and increased range of products at lower prices • Working capital loan of up to USD 30m for Desnagrain in Ukraine to supply farms with necessary inputs and technology
Food prices were rising dramatically Selected international cereal prices • Prices rising due to supply and demand factors • Drought and disease the main temporary supply constraints • Shift into bio-fuels also affects demand for grain and food supply • Demand increasing due to fast growth in emerging markets • Recent price decreases because of bumper harvests and global financial turmoil including decreasing crude oil prices
The EBRD region has a substantial agricultural production potential Illustrative example - wheat production • CIS countries account for 13-14% of the world’s arable land, but only for 6% of the global crops and 3% of the world’s meat production. • More than 13 million hectares of abandoned land could be returned into production • High quality soilsand yield improvements could lead to a substantial increase in grain production. • Production potential: higher agricultural commodity prices not only represent a threat, but also an unique opportunity to improve farmers’ incomes and to stimulate investments in agriculture in the EBRD region. Avg. real production 2004-06 (m t) Max productionPotential* (m t) +64% +103% +107% * Increasing production through higher yields and returning of unused farm land (Source: IKAR, FAO)
The right answer? Soaring agricultural commodity prices triggered a boom in farm investments in the region Land investments Downsides Social and environmental issues: • “Neo-colonialism” and speculative elements (land appreciation) • Agriholdings and substantial land banks (> 100,000ha) have uncontrollable social and environmental impacts (effects on small farmers & rural societies, irrigation) Weaknesses in business rationale: • Still weak policy/legal frameworks (e.g. land rights) jeopardising investment security • Volatility in yields and commodity prices is still considerable (recent price decreases) • Lack of skilled labour and human capital is hampering efficient farming activities • Arable land has become an attractive investment opportunity for farmers, strategic investors and financial investors. Business rationale: • New investors bring in needed financing, know-how and professional standards resulting in substantial yield improvements. • Investors expect to benefit from increases in yields and land appreciation. • EBRD is selective towards financing of land and primary agriculture • Projects should be linked to a vertically integrated approach with sustainable long-term growth strategies
The EBRD has initiated short-term responses to the food price crises by bringing together private sector and policy makers • Conference on “Fighting food inflation through sustainable investment” in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: bringing private sector and public sector together to discuss possible responses on the food crises (London – 10 March 2008) • Follow-up meeting at the Agribusiness Forum at the EBRD’s annual meeting: focus on concrete measures to realise the region’s agricultural potential (Kiev – 20 May 2008) • Agribusiness conference in cooperation with the Russian Agricultural Ministry and in coordination with the FAO: involve private sector in a policy dialogue initiative and explore opportunities to improve agricultural production and strengthening Russia's position as a key exporter of agricultural products (Moscow – 21 October 2008)
How can the EBRD help to fully realise this production potential in the long-run and in a sustainable way? KEY DIRECTIONS Key areas to realise the untapped agricultural potential in a sustainable way EBRD INVOLVEMENT • Setting right investment incentives • Environmental, social and integrity standards • Elimination of distorting trade policies (e.g. export restrictions) • Legal transition: further legal reforms in agricultural markets (e.g. land ownership, mortgages, asset collateralisation) Consistent Policies Ensuring effective engagement with public decision makers and consistent policies Application of proven technologies • Improving knowledge and human capital in the agricultural sector in the EBRD region • Access to finance: strengthening credit systems to foster on-farm investments and improve access to working capital • Assisting local producers to improve their supply chains • Supporting investments in processing industries and investing in expansion of food retail to increase competitive pressures on the food market Promoting dialogue between public and private sector and investments in the agribusiness sector • Investments in handling, storage and transportation infrastructures (e.g. roads, railway and port facilities) • Financial resources will have to be mobilized from both the public including IDIs and the private sector Infra-structure investments Intelligent collaboration across institutions and business sectors